Secondhand Wings
by PottedLilies
Summary: Join Fred, George, Lee, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and others as they begin a journey through school, as well as through life, and learn about themselves and each other, finding friendship, laughter, and love along the way. GW/AS, FW/AJ, LJ/KB, CW/OC.
1. Prologue: Freckles

**Hey everyone! Welcome to **_**Secondhand Wings**_**! This story focuses on Fred, George and their friends as they journey through Hogwarts. It will start in their first year (well, the prologue is set before that, but anyway) and continue on through shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts. The first few years should not take very long because I don't plan on going into a huge amount of detail because they are more interesting as they get older. It will mostly focus on the relationship between George and Alicia, but will definitely have a good deal of Fred/Angelina and Lee/Katie. At least, that's what I'm aiming for, but in my head, Katie is currently fighting to choose between Lee and Fred, so we'll just have to see how that works out. XD Anyway, so sorry to bore you with this long note right off the bat, but thanks for reading! Please enjoy and review!**

**For those of you reading _Raindrops_, I haven't forgotten it! But the current chapter is kicking my butt, so I thought I'd post this for now. (:**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Alicia's family members were created by me.**

_Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, and falling in love with you I had no control over._

**Prologue: Freckles**

_-KNOCK - KNOCK - KNOCK _-

"I'll get it, Mum!" an eleven-year-old Charlie Weasley called to his mother, who was balancing a basket of dirty laundry on one hip and Charlie's screaming brother, Ron, on the other. Molly Weasley was a rather dumpy sort of witch, but in an endearing, motherly type way. Her curly red hair was grey at the roots and she had begun to wear a pair of brown-rimmed glasses so she could see her recipes and needle work.

"That'll be the Spinnets," her husband, Arthur, said excitedly as he came down from the upper levels of the Burrow. Arthur, too, was beginning to show his age, but only in his appearance. In action, he was young as ever - especially with Mark Spinnet arriving. He and Mark had been sorted into Gryffindor together back in the day and had remained good friends long after school ended. Melanie Spinnet, Mark's wife, was a Muggle and Arthur, with his strange fascination for the inhabitants of the non-magical world, was overjoyed at any opportunity to bombard her with questions.

Charlie, flaming red hair sticking out in every direction, opened the door to reveal four travel-weary visitors arranged on the front steps. Mark Spinnet was tall, with thinning black hair and stormy grey eyes; while his wife stood almost a head and a half shorter than him, her light blonde hair was thick and curly and her eyes a warm honey brown. She had a hand laid absentmindedly on her protruding stomach, clearly in the late months of a pregnancy. Their eldest daughter, Mae, was Charlie's age and the spitting image of her mother, while Alicia, age four like the Weasley's twin sons, had dark, curly hair, pale skin with a splash of freckles across her cheeks and nose, and her father's deep grey eyes.

"Mae!" exclaimed Charlie happily at the sight of his friend. He grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her out to the backyard to show her some new, enthralling bug he had discovered.

"Keep it down, son," Arthur told him as he shook Mark's hand warmly. "Ginny's sleeping in for once."

"Go fetch Fred and George, please, Arthur?" asked Molly as she set Ron and the laundry down so she could embrace Melanie Spinnet. "I want to introduce them to Alicia." She smiled affectionately and pulled the little girl into a hug.

"They've met before, Molly," said Arthur, taking the suitcase Melanie was carrying and leading them into the house.

"But they were much too young to remember, dear," Molly reminded him. "And since then, Alicia has always stayed with her grandmother when Mark and Melanie come to visit." She began to rummage through to cupboards to find something she could whip up for breakfast.

Arthur chuckled and headed up to the boys' room as the Spinnets sat themselves around the long wooden table in the Weasleys' kitchen. Approximately eight seconds later, Fred Weasley bolted to the top of the stairs. Once he was about halfway down, he tripped and tumbled the rest of the way. Before the others even had time to register that he was sprawled across the floor, the redhead bounced back up and all but sprinted towards the Spinnets.

"Fred, how many times have I told you not to run in the house?" scolded Molly in an exasperated manner from her position at the stove.

"But I'm _fine_, Mum," insisted Fred, causing Mark and his wife to laugh lightly.

"Fred," Melanie began, gesturing to her youngest daughter. "This is Alicia. Alicia, meet Fred.

Fred's crystal blue eyes widened considerably. "You're a _girl_," he stated simply.

Alicia looked a bit taken aback and unsure how to respond, so she merely replied, "Er, yes. And you're not."

"Just say 'hello, Alicia,'" Molly told her son wearily.

"Hello, Alicia," he repeated, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Hello, Fred."

At that moment, George - identical to Fred in every way but his energy level - stumbled into the kitchen.

"Morning," he yawned, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes before joining his brother.

"Good morning, George," said Mark with a chuckle.

George ignored him, staring at Alicia for a moment. "I like your freckleth," he told her, and his ears immediately turned a glowing pink. He was growing out of a lisp, though he still had trouble when he spoke too quickly or did not pay enough attention to what he was saying.

Alicia giggled. It was a bell-like, musical sound that automatically brought smiles to the faces of everyone in the room. "I like yours, too. I'm Alicia."

"I'm George. Nith to meet you, Alithh, Alithhhh," he struggled, trying to force out her name.

Alicia giggled again, her stormy grey eyes lighting up, and put a small hand over her mouth. "Call me Ally."

George grinned at her, though his face was still rather flushed. "Ally," he repeated.

They had been friends ever since.

* * *

**Well, this is just the prologue, so it's shorter than what most of my chapters are going to be. I just thought it would be nice to show how they met before going into the story. Hope you like the beginning! Please review!**

**And let me know what your thoughts are on Katie/Lee or Katie/Fred.**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_Life has only three guarantees: smiling will brighten your face, laughing will enhance your eyes, and falling in love will change your life._


	2. Running Headlong Into Destiny

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize have been created by me. **

_Take me back when our world was one block wide  
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried  
Just two kids, you and I...  
Oh my my my my_

**Chapter One: Running Headlong Into Destiny**

"Mmm," Fred moaned as his mother attempted to wake him. "Five…"

"More," added George, still mostly asleep.

"Minutes," Alicia finished groggily.

The three friends, along with the rest of the Weasley and Spinnet children were sprawled across the mattresses that covered the floor in the living room of the Burrow. It had become tradition for them to spend the last night of the summer holidays together. They would stay up late with hot chocolate and tell stories and jokes before falling asleep in one large, tangled heap.

"You're late as it is!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, throwing open the curtains. "You can't miss the train your first year to Hogwarts!"

"But we can miss it next year? Excellent," joked Fred sleepily as he dragged himself into a sitting position and ran a hand through his flaming red hair.

Mrs. Weasley only rolled her eyes and bustled out of the room, presumably into the kitchen.

"Gerroff me, Ally," groaned George, trying to sit up.

Alicia, who was using his stomach as a pillow, was quite comfortable. "No, I want to sleep," she moaned, burying her face in his shirt in an effort to block out the harsh sunlight that was now streaming into the room.

With a grunt, George pushed her off the bed. It was a short fall, considering it was only a mattress, but to spite him, Alicia pretended to rub her backside. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Please," teased Fred, rolling his eyes and pulling her to her feet. "You know that didn't hurt."

She stuck her tongue out, but allowed him to help her up as George laughed from his position on the bed, though he stopped abruptly when he was hit full in the face by a pillow.

By now, the rest of the children were beginning to stand up and stretch. They rubbed sleep from their eyes and brushed matted hair from their faces before dispersing throughout the Burrow to get ready.

"Are you lot packed?" asked Mr. Weasley, popping his head the front door.

Fred scowled. "Yeah, Mum made us do it yesterday." George nodded and shuddered as if packing even a day early was some sort of horrible scandal.

"Our trunks are in the corner Papa Weasley," said Alicia, dropping the pillow and pointing.

Arthur smiled at his nickname. By now Alicia, Mae, and their seven year old brother, Nathan, were as good as his own children. He pulled out his wand and flicked it at the trunks so they levitated themselves outside.

"You had better run upstairs and get dressed," he told them with a knowing look. "And get back down here before your mother strangles someone."

They nodded, well aware of Molly's temper, and dashed up to the boys' room. Alicia rummaged through their closet before pulling out her favorite t-shirt of George's - dark grey with the Falmouth Falcon's logo emblazoned across the front. She snatched a pair of Fred's white shorts and hurried across the hall to the bathroom.

She quickly pulled on her clothes and grabbed her toothbrush from the cup on the counter. While brushing, she studied her eleven-year-old self in the mirror. Her dark brown hair was as curly as ever, and fell wildly about her heart-shaped face and just past her thin shoulders. After years outdoors playing Quidditch with the Weasley boys, her once fair skin had taken on a tanner hue, though the freckles on her nose and cheeks remained stubbornly prominent. Her stormy grey eyes were framed by long thick lashes, and her lips were always slightly pink. She was not ugly, she supposed, though her bottom lip was too big for her top one and she often felt her freckles gave her too young of an appearance.

Of course, looks had never mattered much to Alicia, not growing up around more boys than there were girls, but she knew that most people were not like the Weasleys, and most chose to like or dislike you based on what you looked like. She was worried about making friends once she arrived at Hogwarts. She wondered if she was too tomboyish, or if there was something else wrong with her that would keep people away. But as long as she had Fred and George, she knew she could get by.

She met the twins on the landing and they hastily made their way back downstairs, dodging a half-dressed Percy - who was shrieking about misplacing _25 Fool-Proof Tips to Becoming a Prefect_. Fred, George, and Alicia sniggered. They had given it to the ghoul in the attic.

They entered the brightly lit, over-crowded kitchen to find Molly and Melanie fixing breakfast while Mark Spinnet tried to calm a screaming Nathan and a wailing Ginny.

"You two will get to go to Hogwarts when you're old enough," said Mark, sounding slightly exasperated. After all, it was difficult to be soothing when trying to make himself heard over their noise.

"But we want to go now!" they sobbed together.

"Relax, Nate," said Alicia, putting a hand on her little brother's shoulder. "You'll have loads more fun when you get to go with people your own age."

He sniffed and nodded, hugging his sister tightly. Nathan adored Alicia, and she loved him right back.

"Promise to write to me," he mumbled thickly into her stomach.

Alicia laughed lightly. "I promise, Nate. Now, please, let go? I'm starving."

He obeyed and Alicia made her way to the table, where she took a seat between Fred and Charlie.

"So, squirt, are you excited?" ask the second eldest Weasley brother, handing Alicia a plate.

"Yeah, of course," she answered, but her knees began to bob slightly and she admitted, "But I'm a bit nervous."

"About what?" asked Mae, leaning around Charlie to look at her sister. Her new Head Girl badge was gleaming on the table next to her plate.

Alicia sighed, taking an apple from the basket and nibbling on it. "The Sorting, mostly."

Across from her, George grinned. "Ah, come on, Ally. It's not like we're going to cast you out if Fred and I get into Gryffindor and you don't."

"Unless, of course, you end up in Slytherin," Fred told her matter-of-factly.

"Or Hufflepuff," George put in, going back to his breakfast.

"Or Ravenclaw, really," finished Fred, frowning slightly.

Alicia rolled her eyes, though her knees continued to bounce. "Thanks, guys. That makes me feel loads better."

"Sure thing," replied the twins, grinning identically and winking at her.

Mae giggled and Charlie smiled at Alicia. "You'll do fine," he reassured her. "Anyone brave enough to be friends with these two has more than enough courage to be in Gryffindor."

Alicia returned his smile. He always knew just what to say.

"Besides," added Mae as she ripped off a piece of toast and popped it into her mouth. "You've got Charlie and me."

Alicia decided not to mention the fact that they were seventh years, and once they got to school, they probably would not have any time for a first year like her.

"Time to go!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she glanced at Arthur's watch - which he had left on the counter. She brushed hair from her face and looked quite frazzled as the children pushed back their chairs and stood.

Mae and Alicia - who would be riding with the Weasleys - said goodbye to their family, and (after having to pry Nathan off of Alicia) followed the redheads out to the old Ford Anglia. Bill and Ginny had decided to come along, so it made for a cramped ride. Arthur and Molly, knowing nothing of Muggle safety regulations, simply told the kids to sit on top of one another if they had to. So Mae, Alicia, and Ginny were precariously balanced across Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George, while Bill sat in the front with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny sat directly in Fred's lap, and was sobbing unrestrainedly into her older brother's shoulder while he patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Good grief, Ally," groaned George, shifting beneath her so she was sitting on Percy. "How much did you eat this morning?"

Alicia punched him rather harder than was necessary.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm and glaring at her. "You have quite a punch - for a _girl_."

"I do, but surely you know that by now," said Alicia, smiling sweetly.

Even Ginny stopped crying and giggled a bit as everyone laughed. Everyone but George, that is. Alicia knew she had punched him far more times than he would have liked to admit.

They arrived at King's Cross Station and practically tumbled out of the car. After a few scraped knees and the ever-present confusion, the Weasleys and Spinnet girls loaded their trunks onto trolleys, owls and all, and earned a number of strange looks from the Muggles that crowded the parking lot. They ignored the stares and walked right into the station, and Alicia could almost feel the air buzzing with excitement.

When they reached the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, the family did their best to appear normal as they casually stepped through the solid brick wall. It still made Alicia nervous, though she had been through many times to see Mae off, but the little girl took a deep breath and walked straight through, Fred and George on her sides. Once they were on the other side, Alicia looked up to see the familiar gleaming scarlet steam engine emitting welcoming puffs of smoke into the air.

She heard Percy say a quick goodbye to his parents and watched him wheel his trolley over to join his fellow third years, Oliver Wood, Tyler Bowen, and Christopher Berry as they loaded their belongings onto the train. She had only ever seen pictures of the boys, but knew it had to be them.

Charlie and Mae, who were not as embarrassed as Percy to stop and give everyone a hug did so almost sadly, for this was their last year to go away to Hogwarts. Alicia even noticed that Mae had tears in her eyes as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave the best friends a loving group hug.

"Thanks Papa," Mae told Mr. Weasley, giving him another hug. "For everything."

He patted her back and chuckled softly. "'Course, Mae."

A few carriages down, a tan girl with straight brown hair and a goofy hat stuck her head out of the window. "Charlie! Mae!" she called. "Get those scrawny arses up here and say hello!"

The two of them laughed and grabbed the handles of their trunks.

"Coming, Em!" yelled Mae.

"Yeah, Emily, relax!" added Charlie, still laughing, and then turned to his family. "We'll see you all later."

Mrs. Weasley gave him a watery smile as he and Mae waved goodbye and rushed to join their friends.

"Wow," said Alicia, trying to take everything in. "We're really going."

Fred and George nodded, their identical crystal blues eyes sparkling.

"Come on!" Fred insisted, grabbing the two of them by the wrists and half-dragging them toward the train. Bill chuckled at his younger brother's excitement and followed close behind, pushing the trolley they had left forgotten.

With the help of Bill and Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Alicia found an empty compartment in the middle of the train and stowed their luggage securely on the overhead rack. Dodging various students, they hopped back onto the platform to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, who was beginning to resemble a sprinkler.

"Ah, it's okay, Gin," said George, hugging his little sister, but this only made her cry harder. "Ginny," he went on in a strained but gentle voice, "you're soaking my shirt."

"S – s – sorry," she hiccupped, and proceeded to do the same to Fred and Alicia.

Fred shook his flaming head as he tried to wring some of the salt water from his t-shirt. "Remind me to bring an extra set of clothes next year."

"Oh, Fred, you don't understand what it's like for her," Mrs. Weasley told him tearfully, pulling the three children into bone-crushing hugs. "Now," she began, staring them down. "Please, _behave yourselves_." Her warning would have been much more threatening had she not burst into tears as soon as she finished and pulled them all back into a tight embrace.

"All right, Molly," Mr. Weasley chuckled as he and Bill pulled the winded eleven-year olds from her grasp. "Let them breath."

She nodded, sniffling loudly as Alicia threw her arms around Mr. Weasley's middle. "Bye, Papa Weasley!"

"Yeah, see you Dad," said the twins, hugging their father once Alicia let him go.

"Er, don't let Mum and Ginny drown themselves," added George, looking to his sobbing mother and sister with an expression torn between worry and amusement.

Mr. Weasley laughed and patted his son on the back. "You lot had best say goodbye to Bill quickly, the train leaves in about five minutes."

The eldest Weasley brother pulled them all into a big group hug. "Bye guys, don't worry about anything. You're going to have the time of your lives," he said, reaching out and ruffling Fred's hair.

"Oi!" exclaimed Fred, jumping backwards and trying in vain to flatten his unruly red locks. "It took me ten minutes to fix it this morning!"

"You liar," Bill grinned. "You haven't so much as taken a comb to it since last Christmas."

Fred opened his mouth defiantly, but closed it again when he realized he had no argument.

Bill laughed at him and leaned down to kiss Alicia on the cheek. "Bye squirt, don't let these two become a bad influence on you."

Alicia giggled. "It might be too late for that. Bye, Bill."

The final whistle blew and the three first years hurried back onto the scarlet steam engine. With one last wave to the Weasley's standing on the platform, they rushed down the hall to find their compartment. When they sat down inside and looked out the window, the train gave a lurch and they were finally on their way.

* * *

"So the Disastrous Duo is coming to Hogwarts this year?" asked Emily, applying a coat of vibrant yellow polish to her toe nails.

Emily King was the type of person to march to the beat of her own drum. Her dark brown hair was streaked with electric blue, and the large, flat-billed hat she wore matched her nail polish. She wore a pair of boy shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt that displayed some sort of monster, and she propped her feet up on a large stack of text books. In spite of her general sense of being, well, _weird_, she was one of Mae's best friends, Charlie's too, for that matter.

Mae laughed at the nickname they had given the twins two years ago after an incident that included Emily falling into a large tub of banana pudding. "Yeah, Hogwarts better brace itself."

Victoria shivered, causing Charlie and Evan to chuckle.

Victoria Ryan and Evan Williams were the final members of their group of friends. Mae had noticed years before that the two of them had taken a liking to each other, but both of them were too stubborn to admit it. She could see what they saw in each other, though. Victoria had a sort of innocent beauty about her, with yellow blonde hair that never stayed flat and big blue-green eyes that stood out against her pale, freckled face. Evan, on the other hand, had shaggy, light brown hair that always slightly obscured his mysterious grey eyes. He was well built, after years of playing a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and was never anything but sweet.

Mae pulled a jar of peanut butter from her traveling bag and grabbed the plastic spoon she had brought with her as her friends began chatting about their summers. The blonde had a weakness when it came to peanut butter, and was rarely without it.

"I don't see how you can eat that stuff," said Evan, wrinkling his nose at her, so Mae stuck out her tongue. "Actually, though, that does remind me…"

He reached into his bag and pulled out four packages of sugar quills, and handed one to each of his friends. "My family went to Switzerland over the holiday," he explained, as Emily ripped hers open and began sucking on one immediately. "I wanted to get you all something, and I figured there wouldn't be anything better."

Mae grinned, her expression mirrored on three other faces. "It was you who got us all addicted in the first place, remember?"

"Yeah," added Victoria. "On our very first trip to Hogsmeade you forced everyone to buy one, and we never could get enough."

Evan chuckled and pulled out a sugar quill of his own and shrugged. "What can I say? I just have excellent taste."

"They're pure sugar," said Charlie, laughing. "Of course it's good taste."

"Don't complain, you lot," joked Emily, waving her quill at them threateningly. "Thanks, Evan!"

* * *

Alicia shifted in her seat for a moment, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "So," she ventured, looking from Fred to George. "Are you guys sure you're going to be in Gryffindor?"

"Absolutely," answered Fred immediately, looking slightly offended by her seeming lack of faith. George, on the other hand, looked less than positive, but nodded nonetheless.

"You know Fred, sometimes I wish I had your confidence," she told the redhead sitting beside her.

"What can I say? It's a gift." Fred tried his hand at a modest shrug, but failed dismally.

Alicia rolled her grey eyes, but before she could say anything, the door to the compartment flew open and a boy with his black hair gelled into spikes threw himself inside and slammed the door behind him.

"Oi!" the three friends yelled in surprise, all jumping back a bit.

The boy gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry," he panted. "I-just-need-a-place-to-hide."

"Hide from what?" asked George as he raised an eyebrow and settled back into his seat.

The boy's chocolate brown eyes gleamed mischievously. He sat crossed-legged on the floor and brushed his spiky hair from his face before answering. "Well, apparently, people don't like it when you set off a couple Filibusters in their drinks."

The other three burst out laughing.

"Now that's my kind of man!" exclaimed Fred, shaking the boy's hand. "Stay as long as you like."

The boy gave him a huge grin and climbed into the vacant seat next to Alicia.

"I'm Lee, by the way, Lee Jordan," he told her coyly, waggling his eyebrows in what he clearly thought was a seductive manner.

"I wouldn't bother, mate," George laughed, putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," agreed Fred. "Alicia isn't really even a girl."

"Am so," she argued, putting her hands on her hips. "You admitted it the first time you ever met me."

Fred gave her a sweet smile. "Things change."

"Well, _I _think she's lovely."

"Thank you, Lee," Alicia told him with a grin. "I'm Alicia Spinnet, and these two dunderheads are Fred and George Weasley."

Lee glanced back and forth between the twins. "And how exactly do I tell you apart?

"I'm the better looking, charming, funny one," said Fred automatically.

"It's hard to do it by looks," explained Alicia. "It's easier to go by their personalities. The exceedingly arrogant one is Fred, and the slightly less annoying one is George."

"Hey!" Fred whined. "I resent that."

"You're supposed to." Alicia grinned at him.

Fred was about to reply when the compartment door opened again. A tall, very pretty black girl with long braided hair poked her head inside.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked, rubbing her forehead in a tired sort of way. "If I have to listen to one more word about how good looking some person called Oliver Wood is, I'll throw someone off the train."

Fred, who had been staring at the girl in awe, pushed Alicia off the seat beside him and exclaimed, "Of course! This seat is free!"

Alicia scowled at him and climbed up next to George, who was sitting opposite them. "What is it with you two and shoving me off things today?"

"It's not our fault, Ally," George told her with a grin. "You just happen to get in the way a lot."

"Thanks, George, you're so sweet."

George, unperturbed by her obvious sarcasm, smiled wider. "I know, but it's nice to hear someone say it."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "I might have to take back what I said about you being the less annoying one," she said, and then looked to the other girl, who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Don't worry about it, you can sit there, but watch out. He can be a bit of a nutcase."

The girl laughed at Fred' defiant look and sat down. "Thanks. I'm Angelina."

"I'm Fred!" he yelled excitedly.

"Told you," Alicia laughed as Angelina jumped back, almost knocking Lee to the ground. "I'm Alicia."

"George."

"Lee."

"So, the Falmouth Falcons, huh?" asked Angelina, nodding to Alicia's shirt. "I'm more of a Kestrels fan myself."

"Me too!" exclaimed Fred, causing Alicia and George to exchange puzzled looks.

"You are not, you prat," said Alicia, throwing a jacket at him.

"Yeah, come on, the Falcons have the best Beaters in the League," George reminded his brother.

"Kevin and Karl Broadmoor?" asked Angelina. "Weren't they suspended, like, twelve times?"

"Fourteen," Fred, George, Alicia, and Lee all corrected her in unison.

"Oh, you like the Falcons, too?" Alicia asked Lee.

Lee shrugged. "Actually, I support the Tornadoes, but I know a lot about all of the teams."

"Do you play?" asked the twins.

"Er, no. I hate flying, I get airsick," he explained. "Do any of you play?"

"We're Beaters," chorused Fred and George.

"I play Chaser," Alicia and Angelina added together. They looked at each other and smiled. "Wicked."

Fred laughed. "You two are as bad as George and me." He then looked at Angelina, exasperated. "But the _Kestrels_, seriously?"

* * *

"I can't believe this is our last year here," said Mae as Charlie lifted her trunk down from the rack.

He shook his flaming red hair from his eyes and gave her a sad smile. "Me either. We have to make it our best year yet. Plus, you're Head Girl, which means we can do whatever we want."

She gave him a look and he smirked. "Kidding, Fi, kidding."

"Don't call me that," she whispered, glancing around. The others had already gotten their luggage and left the train, so there was no need to worry.

Charlie chuckled. "Relax, Mae, no one heard. I don't see why you hate your first name so much."

"We've been through this a thousand times," explained Mae. "Fiona is the most ridiculous name ever, and Fiona Mae is even worse. I don't want people to call me that, if Emily ever found out, my life would be over."

Charlie actually burst out laughing at this point. "You know I'd never tell anyone, especially Emily. But I bet you'll like it one day, but by that point, no one will be able to call you Fiona because they'll all be too used to Mae."

Mae grinned, following him out of the compartment. "No one ever calling me that? I think that would be my dream come true. Besides, you don't go by your real name either, so who are you to talk?"

"There's a difference between going by Charlie instead of Charles and going by Mae instead of Fiona."

Mae rolled her eyes as they climbed into a thestral-drawn carriage with Emily, Victoria, and Evan. "Tomato, potato," she told him, but then made a face. "Or whatever the phrase is."

* * *

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, and Angelina stepped off the train and into Hogsmeade Station to find a huge, hairy man holding a lamp and beckoning them over, so they approached him cautiously.

"Tha' everyone?" asked the giant. "All righ' follow me then."

He led the first years to an enormous black lake. It was completely still, a perfect reflection of the starry night sky overhead. There were dozens of small, slightly battered wooden boats awaiting them at the shore.

"No more'n four ter a boat!" called the giant, taking an entire boat for himself.

Lee winked at them and followed three very pretty girls into another boat while Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina climbed into one of their own. They glided along for a while, taking in their surroundings. On one side of the lake was Hogsmeade village, standing out in sharp relief against the dark purple mountains beyond it. The colorful shop windows were alight as witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes roamed the welcoming streets. On their other side was a vast expanse of forest, spreading farther than their eyes could see. The ancient trees stood tall and ominous, with a dark, alluring magic about them. They radiated danger and secrets and whatever it was that draws one to forbidden things.

As the turned a bend, Hogwarts castle – their home for the next seven years – appeared before them. It stood tall, on a hill, towering over the trees that dared grow close on the sweeping green lawn. The huge Quidditch pitch that sat in the distance was illuminated by the light streaming through the hundreds of castle windows.

At this point, the twins seemed to grow bored with the scenic route and glanced at each other, nodding and winking, before rocking the boat dangerously.

"Oi! You there, stop tha'!" yelled the giant, but it was too late. With a loud shriek from Angelina, the boat flipped, dumping its occupants into the freezing lake.

When Alicia came out of the icy water, coughing and gasping for air, she found George back-stroking by lazily, as if it were a casual swim in the pool.

"All right there, Ally?" he smirked.

"Y-you id-id-idiots!" she sputtered, her teeth chattering. "It's f-fr-freezing!"

"Come on, Alicia, take a joke," Fred told her, swimming up to them.

Alicia splashed him. "I'll laugh when I'm warm and dry."

"Fair enough."

Angelina, on the other hand, did not look as though she would be laughing any time soon. She paddled over, sputtering with rage and cold, but seemed to be at a loss for words, so instead, she took off swimming after the other boats. Fred, George, and Alicia rolled their eyes playfully to one another and followed.

They climbed out of the water a moment later in an underground cavern where the other students had docked; they were shivering head to foot, but grinning slightly at their first adventure.

"Ally, your l-lips are bl-blue."

"S-so are yours G-Ge-George. What d-did you exsp-spect?" Alicia tried to sound angry, but could not contain a laugh.

"_Brilliant!"_ Lee exclaimed as he joined them, howling with laughter. He slapped Fred and George on the back. But his grin faded a bit when he saw the look Angelina shot his way.

The giant approached them, a somewhat exasperated look on his hairy face, though his eyes were smiling distantly, as if remembering other children who had done the very same thing. He shrugged out of his coat and draped it around the four kids. Alicia made sure to stand between the twins and Angelina, who was glaring daggers at them. They followed the group up a flight of stairs and into the brightly lit entrance hall of the castle, huddling together for warmth.

* * *

"Aster, Thomas!" called a woman who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House. She stood at the front of the Great Hall with an old ratty hat in her hand. A hat that had, moments before, burst into lively song.

A timid looking boy with dark wavy hair stepped out from the middle of the group and took a seat on the three-legged stool that sat before them. McGonagall placed the hat on his head and it was silent for a moment before shouting, "RAVENCLAW!" The table on their left burst into applause and the boy hastily went to join them.

"Berry, Taylor!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The table to their right cheered loudly as a tall blonde girl took her place among them.

"Bletchley, Miles!"

"SLYTHERIN!" The table on the far left screamed and cat-called as the burly boy smirked and sat down.

"Chambers, Timothy!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Clouse, Jan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

And so it went. After a few more students, Angelina became the first new Gryffindor, followed by a thrilled-looking Lee. Alicia could hardly listen to the other students as Professor McGonagall went through the alphabet. Angelina and Lee had been joined only by a girl named Kimberly Escue when…

"Spinnet, Alicia!"

Alicia was terrified. George gently prodded her in the back and she squared her shoulders before stepping out from the warmth and security of the giant's cloak and taking her place on the three legged stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting hat on her head and it slipped down past her ears, obscuring her view of the Hall and all its occupants.

_Let me see, let me see, _said the hat in a voice only she could hear_. A half-blood? Then Slytherin won't do…_

Alicia sighed in relief.

_You are not the brightest, and not the most talented,_ it mused, more to itself than to the brunette.

_Hey!_ Alicia thought harshly.

_But there is bravery in your heart, that is certain, you only need to get it into your head._

Alicia felt her eyebrows rise slightly; did the hat always give advice?

There was a tiny chuckle in her ear. _No, no, only when I know how to help someone reach their full potential. Better be_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Alicia could not contain a small squeal of excitement and rushed the join Lee and Angelina, giving them each a big hug before she was engulfed in an even larger one from Charlie and Mae.

"Congratulations, Alicia!" exclaimed Mae excitedly.

Charlie gave her a wide smile. "I knew you could do it, squirt."

Alicia beamed up at them before taking a seat next to Lee and turning to wait anxiously for Fred and George.

* * *

Fred watched as Patricia Stimpson and Kenneth Towler joined Alicia, Lee, Angelina, and Kimberly at the Gryffindor table. A tiny girl with platinum blonde hair jumped as McGonagall shouted "Walters, Justine" and he held his breath as she was sorted into Hufflepuff, for only he and George remained.

"Weasley, Fred!"

He stood tall and sauntered up to the stool, hopefully appearing to be the epitome of Gryffindor bravery.

_Another Weasley?_ The hat said in his ear as McGonagall placed it upon his head. _One that one that puts on the appearance of courage, though, in truth, he is nervous as the rest, _it continued and Fred grunted in answer.

_Of course, _it went on,_ bravery is what one does, not what one feels, so better be_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

Fred grinned and whipped the hat off his head, giving a showy bow to the table that was applauding him. As he reached it, Alicia, Mae, and Charlie surrounded him in a group hug, which made him laugh as they sat down and crossed their fingers for George, who now stood alone, swallowed in the giant's cloak.

* * *

"Weasley, George!"

George felt his stomach drop to the floor, but took a deep breath and hoped he looked as confident as Fred had approaching the three-legged stool. The hat slipped down past his eyes, leaving him in darkness.

_Twins, eh?_ A voice murmured in his ear. _Yet, you are not as sure of yourself as you brother. Smarter, though, it seems, perhaps Ravenclaw? But no, maybe it isn't smarter, maybe you have a better heart, a kinder one. Hufflepuff, then?_

_Don't you dare,_ George growled in his mind.

_That's what I'm looking for!_ exclaimed the hat, sounding rather excited. _There's courage in you!_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

George breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as Alicia was the first to reach him as he made his way to the table. Her dark curly hair obscured his vision momentarily as she threw her arms around his neck.

"We did it!" she told him happily. "We really did it!"

George grinned widely and hugged her back. "We did, didn't we?"

* * *

**Chapter One, everybody! I hope you liked it! I know it was wordy in some places, and slow in others, but this is just where it begins, so it will get more exciting as they begin to settle in and whatnot.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matter compared to what lies within us._


	3. Old Letters, New Friends

**Thank you to: RaindropsOnTheRooftop (my very first reviewer on this story! :D), supergirl818, Ed Westwicker, MssrsMWPP, ashl3yj0nas43v3r, Zoraida16, , Vampire Lover26, -the smell of autumn-, UndercoverHufflepuff (whose penname only shows up if I take out the '.'s XD), SecretlyAGryffindor, iamagriffin (again with the '.'s), and maggy black who have all reviewed the story so far. It means a lot to me! This chapter is dedicated to all of you. (:**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize have been created by me.**

_Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same._

**Chapter Two: Old Letters, New Friends**

The first years climbed sleepily up the many staircases of Hogwarts, not paying enough attention to ever be able to repeat their route. They stopped in front of a large painting of a very fat woman, who looked at the prefect that led the way expectantly.

"Frog spawn," said the prefect, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a large entrance, which they helped each other through.

Alicia gasped along with the others as they found themselves in the huge, cozy Gryffindor Common Room. There was a roaring fire in the grate to their left, and sitting in front of it was a variety of squashy-looking, mismatched armchairs. Throughout the room, there were a few sofas, many low tables, and a large notice board hung on the far wall.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room," said the prefect, smiling warmly and brushing short blonde hair from her eyes. "I am Christina Timmons, if you have any questions, please feel free to find me. The boys' dormitories are up the stairs on the left - look for the first year plaque. The girls' is the same on the right. Boys are not allowed in the girls' dormitories and vice versa. Breakfast begins at 7:00 and classes with start at 8:30. I hope you all have a good first night."

She left to join a few other girls who looked to be in her year and they made their way up the girls' staircase.

"Well," said Lee, giving a yawn and stretching his arms above his head. "I suppose I'll go to bed. See you girls tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Alicia and Angelina chorused. They waved to the boys and followed Patricia and Kimberly up the stairs to their dormitory.

The girls entered the room to find four four-poster beds with crimson hangings trimmed in gold arranged in a semi-circle to fit the shape of the tower. There were four vanities, four dressers, and two closets. To the right, there was a large bathroom with a long counter and two showers, as well as a couple of sinks and a large mirror.

Angelina had the bed to the far left, with Alicia's right next to her, then Kimberly, then Patricia nearest the bathroom. Their trunks and luggage sat at the end of each of their beds and their clothes had already been put away neatly.

"Look," said Alicia as she noticed an envelope sitting on the table beside her bed. The other girls crowded around as she opened it carefully.

_Dear First Years –_

_Welcome to Hogwarts! We are the Gryffindor girls of 1988 and we wrote this in the hopes that you have the best seven years here that you possibly can, so here a list of each of our best pieces of advice:_

_Study! Don't procrastinate! I know saying that won't do much good, but always try to get things done early anyway! – Maggie Phan_

_Always stick by your friends, even when you know they're wrong. They're your friends for a reason and you have to be there for them as much as they'll be there for you. – Remy Thorn_

_Looks aren't everything, when you get in about 3__rd__ year you'll begin to care a lot about appearances, but you want people to like you for who you are, not what you look like. So look nice, but don't obsess! –Lenore Allan_

_Follow your heart, but take your brain with you! – Ivy Lancaster_

_And do something worth remembering. Make something of yourselves; don't graduate without leaving a piece of yourself behind. This school is going to be a huge part of your life, so strive to become a piece of it as well. –Friedel Lewis_

_Good luck, and never forget to make the most of every opportunity you are given!_

_Love,  
__The Girls of '88_

"That was so sweet of them!" exclaimed Kimberly, grinning widely.

"Yeah," Angelina agreed. "We should do that seven years from now!"

"If we even remember," said Patricia, shrugging. "But it was a nice idea."

Alicia nodded, smiling down at the letter in her hands. "Hey, I have an idea." She walked to the small bulletin board that hung by the door and tacked the letter right in the middle. "So we don't ever forget."

The other girls smiled back at her, before Kimberly stepped forward.

"I'm Kimberly, by the way, but please, call me Kim," she said, holding her hand out in a friendly manner. She had a good deal of mousy brown hair that fell just past her thin shoulders. Her arched eyebrows gave her a constant inquisitive expression over icy blue eyes framed in thin red glasses. Her little ears and nose were balanced out by large lips and a square face. Alicia could not help but like her when she noticed the freckles spattered across her skin.

"I'm Alicia," she told the other girls brightly.

"And I'm Angelina."

"My name's Patricia," said the last girl. She had flowing blonde hair and light green eyes, slightly large on her thin face, which gave her the appearance of always being worried about something. She was taller than Alicia and Kim, almost the same as Angelina, but the way she carried herself - hunched slightly, with her arms wrapped around her middle - made her seem shorter.

They were still crowded around the letter in the wall when Alicia had another idea.

"Let's promise each other something," she said quietly, looking at each of the girls whom she would be living with for the next seven years.

"What?" they all asked together.

"Let's promise each other that by the time we're in 7th year, before we write a letter like this, we'll have done something worth remembering – something we can really be proud of."

Kimberly grinned. "Good idea." She held out her hand again, palm down, and they each put their own on top of hers.

"I, Alicia Jack Spinnet, promise that I will do something worth remembering by the time I graduate," said Alicia, leading the others.

"I, Angelina Betty Johnson, promise to do something to be proud of."

"I, Kimberly Morgan Escue, promise to do something worth writing about in our letter."

"And I, Patricia Michelle Stimpson, promise to make something of myself."

They smiled at each other widely.

"I think we got excellent roommates," Kim said happily, rummaging through her drawers to find her pajamas.

"Me, too," agreed Alicia honestly. "This is going to be a good year – I can feel it."

The others nodded, undressing and brushing their hair.

"Are any of you morning people?" asked Patricia, climbing into her bed.

"I am!" Kim told her brightly, and Alicia and Angelina laughed, not surprised.

"I'm not at all," said Alicia, still laughing.

Angelina nodded, popping her knuckles absentmindedly. "Me either. Wake me up, and you'll regret it."

The others chuckled lightly. "What about you, Patricia?"

She shrugged. "Not particularly, but I won't kill you if you wake me up," she said, giving a pointed look in Angelina's direction.

"Looks like we'll be counting on you to get us up, Kim," said Alicia, climbing into her own bed. It was so warm and soft, like what she imagined a king would sleep in.

"Can do," Kim yawned. She lay down as well and Alicia could hear her gentle snores almost as soon as the girl's mousy brown head hit the pillow.

* * *

Fred woke first the next morning, already excited for the day ahead. He threw his pillow to the right, and heard the satisfying _thunk _as it hit his brother. He sprung out of bed, rumpling his flaming red hair as George threw the pillow farther to the right, missing Lee but hitting Kenneth.

"Oi!" The brunette boy exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and rubbing sleep from his grey eyes.

His yell woke Lee with a start, and Fred urged the three of them to hurry and dress, for his stomach was beginning to growl loudly.

The boys tiredly dragged themselves out of bed, and to Fred, it felt like it took them a year and half to get ready. He stood there, clicking his fingers, and sighing occasionally, but finally, they made their way down to common room. Alicia, Angelina, and the two other Gryffindor girls were just coming down their own staircase, and Alicia smiled brightly when she saw them.

"Isn't this place amazing?" she asked, running to greet them.

"Absolutely," Lee agreed immediately, while Fred and George merely nodded.

"Oh, this is Patricia and Kim," Alicia went on, pointing to a tall blonde girl, and then a shorter one with glasses. "Girls, this is Fred, George, Lee, and…"

"Kenneth," the other boy answered, smiling at the girls.

"This introduction stuff is great and all, but can't we do it while we eat?" asked Fred impatiently, leading the way to the portrait hole.

"Whatever you say, Fred," Alicia laughed, following close behind.

Had it not been for a group of fourth year students walking right in front of them, the eight young Gryffindors would never have found their way back to the Great Hall. They followed the older students down countless staircases and corridors, Lee making up theme music that one would have heard in a Muggle action film along the way. They took their seats, looking quite pleased with themselves, and loaded their plates with eggs and toast as Professor McGonagall walked down the table, handing out schedules.

"Today's not bad," Fred observed, scanning the list she gave him, which was identical to all of the first year Gryffindors'. "We've got Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, break, History of Magic with Hufflepuff, Potions with Slytherin – yuck, then lunch and Transfiguration with Ravenclaw."

"Yeah," added Angelina. "Looks like most of our classes are with Hufflepuff, thank Merlin. I wouldn't want to have too many with Slytherin."

"Maybe the Slytherins aren't all bad, though," Kim said hopefully, earning a few resentful looks.

"You did not just say that," Fred and George said in unison.

"Oh, leave her alone," Alicia told them. "She's a Muggleborn, they don't grow up being taught which Houses to hate."

"Not to break up what was sure to be a good argument," said Lee, glancing at his watch. "But we'd better go. Herbology starts in five minutes."

* * *

Mae and Charlie ate their toast from a bag as they wandered the grounds that morning, waiting for Care of Magical Creatures to begin.

"I'm so glad Care of Magical Creatures is first on Monday," said Mae happily, stumbling over a rock. She righted herself with a smile to hide her blush (she tended to make a fool out of herself quite often around Charlie, though she was not a naturally clumsy person) and continued. "It's a good way to begin the week."

Charlie chuckled at her and nodded in agreement. "Do you think everyone will have kept the class? Everyone from last year, I mean."

"I hope so," Mae told him honestly. "We had so much fun!"

Not many people were in the N.E.W.T. level classes, so everyone from all four houses that wished to take Care of Magical Creatures in 6th and 7th year were put into the same class. Charlie and Mae were joined by Troy Harrison from Gryffindor, but the other students came mostly from Hufflepuff, as well as a few Ravenclaws and two Slytherins.

"It's about to start," said Charlie, looking towards the edge of the forest were people were beginning to queue up. "Professor Kettleburn's already there."

He grabbed a couple mints out of his pocket and handed one to Mae as the two of them hurried to join their class, where indeed, most of the students from the year before returned.

"Welcome back, welcome back," exclaimed Professor Kettleburn, a thin, but strong man in his late fifties. "Role call!"

Mae rolled her eyes at Charlie, who grinned. The professor was notorious for always having to call role, no matter how few students were in the class.

"Debbs, Harper."

"Here!" she told him, laughing with her friends at their odd teacher.

"Faust, Megan."

"Here."

"Harris, Dale."

"Here."

"Holmes, Lance."

"Here."

"Holmes, Martha."

"Here!" his sister exclaimed happily, waving merrily at Charlie and Mae when she saw them.

"McQuin, Tyler."

"Present," he called, obviously thinking he was funny.

Normally, it would have thrown Professor Kettleburn off, but after four years with Tyler, he would have expected nothing less.

"Pate, Harvey."

"Here."

"Poppy, Ed."

"Also present," said Tyler's best friend, a grin on his face.

"Spinnet, Mae."

"Here!" Mae called, having to laugh at Tyler and Ed's returning joke.

"And Weasley, Charlie."

"Here."

"Excellent, all here, now we may begin," stated Kettleburn, eyes alight with excitement. "We'll finish up the lesson on kelpies that I never got to last year, and then begin something new, something I think you lot are really going to enjoy."

The seventh years glanced around at each other in nervousness and curiosity. Half the time things the professor thought they would enjoy ended up getting them lost in the forest, but that was what made the class such an adventure.

* * *

Alicia and the others shoved the rest of their breakfast down their throats, grabbed their bags, and rushed though the Entrance Hall and out the oak front doors. She was hit by a warm breeze that blew through her hair and filled her nose with the delicious scent of honeysuckle.

"The weather is absolutely perfect!" she exclaimed delightedly, leading the others around the lake toward the greenhouses that sat on the edge of the forbidden forest. While walking, she spread her arms wide and spun in a circle, her bag and robes swirling around her with the wind.

The others laughed lightly, their voices carried in the breeze.

"Come on, Twinkle Toes," said Fred, grabbing her arms. "You're going to make us late."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Like you really care, Fred. I'll race you."

Before Fred could even comprehend the challenge, she was off, with the redhead soon on her heels.

"Be careful!" Patricia called after them, but her voice was lost to them as they ran, laughing and yelling to each other as they gained and lost ground. The others chuckled, before following at a more reasonable pace.

Alicia and Fred sprinted past the lake, past the trees of the forest, past the gamekeeper's cabin, and all the way to the greenhouses, which they slammed into simultaneously.

"I win!" they shouted in unison. The two young Gryffindors glared at each other, windswept and out of breath. "Nah uh!"

Panting too much to waste words on each other, they rounded on a girl their age who was standing close by. "Who got here first?" they demanded, and the poor girl's aquamarine eyes widened slightly as she hesitated.

"Well, uh…"

"I think it was a tie," said the boy beside her, brushing his shaggy brown hair from his face.

Alicia and Fred opened their mouths to argue, but George had caught up with them and yanked on the back of their robes to get them out of the girl's face. "Sorry about them, they're a bit… competitive."

The girl laughed in a musical sort of way and flipped her platinum blonde braid over her shoulder. "It's all right. I'm Justine, by the way, Justine Walters."

"George Weasley," he told her in a friendly voice. "This is my brother Fred, and my best friend Ally, er, I mean, Alicia. And these are our friends Lee, Angelina, Kenneth, Patricia, and Kim."

"Nice to meet you all, you're the Gryffindors, right?" asked the boy, his startlingly blue eyes examining each of them in turn. "We're Hufflepuff. I'm Travis Marigold."

Just then, a dumpy sort of witch with a good amount of earth beneath her fingernails and in her hat emerged from one of the larger greenhouses, calling for everyone's attention.

"Welcome to Greenhouse One, first years," she said brightly. "Before we go inside, I would like to take a moment and have everyone introduce themselves. Circle up, please. I'll begin, shall I? I'm Professor Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House. Who are you, dear?"

Alicia jumped slightly when she realized she was next in the circle. "My name's Alicia Spinnet, I'm in Gryffindor."

"Lee Jordan," said Lee, who was standing beside her, humming absently to himself. "Gryffindor."

And so it went. The Hufflepuffs had more students than the Gryffindors. Other than Justine and Travis, there were four boys – Caxton, Chase, Samuel, and Timothy – and six girls – Rachel, Marian, Cassia, Jan, Meg, and Taylor.

After the introductions were complete, Professor Sprout clapped her hands once and led them into the greenhouse, which smelled strongly of dirt and dragon dung.

They spent the class touring the room, inspecting various plants and trying to guess their uses. Alicia found the class quite interesting, even if she suspected she would never have a use for know what Dittany cures or that Devil's Snare hated sunlight.

After Herbology, the Gryffindors had break, which they spent wandering aimlessly around the grounds.

"Shouldn't we be looking for our next class?" asked Patricia, chewing on her fingernails nervously. "I mean, we need all the time we can get. What if we get lost?"

"Don't worry so much," Alicia told her with a laugh. "We'll be fine."

They were, in fact, not fine, and found themselves sprinting into the classroom at the very last second, while the Hufflepuffs were already in their seats. They rushed to sit down, ignoring Patricia's smug look. Their haste was unnecessary, however, for a few moments later the teacher, Professor Binns, shocked them all by walking straight through the blackboard, but that was the most exciting part of the day. After he appeared, he immediately began to lecture as if the students were not there at all.

"So," Lee began, ignoring the ghost and turning to Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina. "That Justine girl was kind of cute."

Alicia and Angelina rolled their eyes. "You're hopeless, Lee," Alicia told him.

"What? She was. Wasn't she?" he argued, looking to Fred and George for conformation.

The twins nodded and Lee grinned.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, leaning back in his seat and looking quite pleased with himself. That is, until the chair fell out from under him.

His four friends roared with laughter, while Patricia looked worriedly at Professor Binns, who seemed to have noticed nothing, and Kim pulled Lee up from the floor. Kenneth was taking notes absentmindedly and paid his roommates no attention.

As the lesson drug on, the Gryffindors entered varied states of stupor while listening to the ghost's dull voice and boring topic. By the end of the period, Kenneth was the only one with decent notes, and Kim had half a page that, when reread, did not make sense save for a few points.

"There is no way I'm going to get through that class," Alicia complained, rubbing her eyes tiredly as they waited for Patricia, Kim, and Kenneth by the bathrooms.

"We could take it in turns," Lee suggested. "You know, we would each take notes every fifth class and them the rest could copy them. That way, you don't have to stay awake as often."

"Lee, my friend," chorused the twins, identical grins spreading across their faces. "You are a genius."

He grinned as well. "Glad someone finally appreciates my outstanding intellect."

Alicia and Angelina could not contain a loud outburst of laughter.

Once the others rejoined them, the Gryffindors made their way down into the dank and dreary dungeon where Potions was held. The class would be with the Slytherins, who were already queued up outside the door. There were six boys and six girls, and they weren't downright ugly, as Alicia had always imagined them to be. They looked fairly normal in her eyes, though they all seemed to have similar characteristics.

The students stood in silence, subtly sizing each other up when the classroom door opened with a loud_ creak _and a deep voice within said "Enter."

The Gryffindors followed the Slytherins, claiming two tables in the back of the room. Professor Snape emerged from the shadows of the dimly lit dungeon. He was younger than most of the teachers they had seen, for he appeared to be only in his mid-thirties, but there was nothing youthful about the hook-nosed, greasy-haired man standing before them. His very presence radiated power and authority beyond his years, and no student even dared to whisper.

"And I was told Gryffindors were brave," he sneered, descending on them like a large, leathery bat. "It seems I was sorely misinformed, for they choose to cower behind better students."

"It has nothing to do with bravery," Fred shot back, crystal blue eyes narrowed in disgust. "We just prefer to stay grease-free."

"I believe I said brave, not impudent, Mr. Weasley, I presume? I don't know which is more of a giveaway, the unkempt, disgustingly red hair, or the worn out state of your hand-me-down robes."

Alicia and Angelina, who were seated on either side of Fred, slapped their hands over his mouth to keep the fuming redhead from replying. Neither of them counted on George doing it for him.

"I think 'worn-out' is better than slimy. At least _our _robes look like they've been washed on occasion."

"Detention, both of you," spat Snape. "This Friday. And ten points from Gryffindor for cheek."

The brothers glared at him, but said nothing further.

"If you two are done, this class will be spent creating a simple potion to cure boils. Ingredients are in the store cupboard." He flicked his wand and a large cabinet in the back of the room sprung open. "And instructions," another flick, "are on the board."

One long hour later, Fred and George had lost another ten points for reminding Snape of Charlie. Lee lost five for melting his cauldron. Angelina lost ten when her Potion caused boils instead of cured them. Patricia lost five for bursting into tears when she could not find dried nettles, and Kim and Kenneth lost ten for whispering instructions to each other. Alicia, whose Potion had miraculously turned out better than the others - except for George, who seemed born to be a Potion's Master - lost five points for not helping the others. The Slytherin students only made matters worse. They taunted the Gryffindors mercilessly throughout the entire class, never losing so much as a point. Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, Angelina, Kim, Patricia, and Kenneth had each other, though, and got through together by whispering murderous thoughts to one another when Snape was out of earshot.

* * *

Mae absentmindedly brushed more dirt from her robes as she and Charlie sat down at lunch with Emily. There had been two indoor classes since Care of Magical Creatures, but somehow, the seventh years were still filthy. The blonde jumped as Fred slammed his bag down at the spot across from her.

"You two were right," groaned Alicia, slumping down in the seat beside him while some of her new friends loaded their plates.

"About what?" Mae asked curiously after swallowing a bite of apple.

"Snape," spat George, throwing himself onto the bench beside Charlie.

Alicia stabbed at her potatoes angrily. "He's a foul git. Completely horrible."

Charlie raised an eyebrow and shot Mae of confused look, which she returned. The eleven-year-olds were rarely this upset. "What'd he do?"

"Took about fifty points from the eight of us combined," explained Alicia. "And he gave Fred and George detention. Well, Fred probably deserved it, but George was just standing up to him because he made fun of your family.

"That bast –"

"Charlie," scolded Mae.

"Sorry," he told her, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"What?" asked Angelina, speaking for the first time. "You can say it, the guy's a bastard."

The first years burst out laughing, while Charlie, Mae, and Emily stared at Angelina in disbelief for a moment before joining in.

"Sorry, guys, I forgot," Alicia began. "We should introduce you. Charlie, Mae, these are our friends Angelina, Lee, Kenneth, Patricia, and Kim. Guys, this is my sister Mae and Fred and George's brother Charlie."

No one had noticed until this point, but Lee had been staring at Mae throughout the entire conversation. She blushed faintly when she saw him, no matter how many boys openly studied her looks, the blonde would never get used to it.

She heard Charlie chuckle at the younger boy's expression and mutter "Get in line," which only deepened her blush. She knew many of the boys at Hogwarts liked her – Charlie teased her for it relentlessly – but to have the admiration of a first year was simply ridiculous.

"You know what," said Emily, clearly trying not to grin. "I think you should take them Hagrid. He could make them feel better about Snape in no time."

"Good idea, Em," Mae answered immediately, desperate for any change of subject. "Meet us in the Entrance Hall after lessons this afternoon."

* * *

Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, and Angelina parted ways with Kim, Patricia, and Kenneth that afternoon. Their three newest friends had chosen to stay behind to work on the essay Snape had given them, so the five Gryffindors left the Transfiguration classroom (Fred slightly happier after he had been the only student to properly change his thumbtack into a button), and headed down the Grand Staircase to find Charlie and Mae.

They saw them standing by the oak front doors. Charlie was talking animatedly, his hands moving faster than his mouth, and Mae was listening intently, looking as though she was holding in laughter until he finished.

"Hey!" The two of them said together when they saw the first years.

"Hey," Fred answered. "What are you so happy about?"

Mae laughed lightly. "Charlie was just doing an impression of Professor Kettleburn when we saw a heard of unicorns in the forest. It's rare to see so many at a time, and he looked as if he almost wet himself.

Alicia had to laugh, imagining the thin old Professor waving his stump of an arm around and jumping in excitement. "So, we're going to see Hagrid? As in the giant?"

"The very one," said Charlie, nodding and holding the door open for them.

"He's a good friend," added Mae, leading the way. "He's great to talk to – he always has good advice, even if you have to uncover it through his rambling."

They reached the little cabin on the edge of the forest, and Charlie's knock was immediately followed by great, booming barks from inside.

"Get back, Fang," came a gruff, slightly muffled voice. "Back I said!"

They heard the sound of a brief struggle before the door was thrown wide, revealing the huge, hairy man holding a large black boarhound by the collar.

"Hey, Hagrid," Charlie greeted brightly, stepping over the threshold and scratching the dog behind the ears. It calmed down at once and almost looked as though it was smiling. "Hey, Fang."

"It's so good to see you, Hagrid!" Mae exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his middle as best she could. "How was your summer?" At this point, Fang trotted over to her and began licking everywhere he could reach, so Mae playfully pushed him away.

"Not bad," he answered, grinning at them and putting a pot of tea on the stove. "I got ter see Buckbeak – he's staying with Podmore a' the mo'. What abou' you?"

"We've been good," Charlie told him, looking to the doorway when the five first years were still huddled, peaking in nervously. "Get in here you lot. Hagrid, these are my brothers Fred – er, no, sorry, I mean George – _this_ is Fred, and this is Mae's sister Alicia and their friends Lee and Angelina."

"Good ter meet ya," grinned Hagrid, his warm black eyes squinting as he did so. "Come sit dow', Fang don' bite. I'm makin' tea."

The seven guests climbed into the over-sized chairs around the huge table, comfortably fitting two or three to a seat while Hagrid took up one by himself.

"Rough day?" Hagrid asked as Mae climbed up on the counter to reach the cupboards, looking for mugs. "Charlie said Professor Snape gave yer a har' time."

"He called us cowards!" Fred burst out angrily. "_And_ he insulted my family." He grabbed one of the rock cakes the giant had set on the table and took a bite – or, at least, he tried to.

"And he took away points because Fred and I reminded him of Charlie!" George shot his older brother a dirty look, but Charlie had to laugh. "And he took away more because Ally's potion was perfect!"

"It was _completely_ unfair," Angelina put in, crossing her arms.

"It was like he absolutely hated us!" Lee told the giant, his spiky hair falling all over the place as he slumped backward.

"He's treats all the Gryffindors like that, though," said Mae, setting mugs of tea in front of each of them as she herself got caught up in the angry vibes in the hut. "I mean, I know we're rival houses and all, but some of the things he does are a bit extreme."

Hagrid thought for a moment, staring absently out the window, before he replied. "Professor Snape is, ah, complicated, ya know? When he was a' school, tha Gryffindors weren't never nice to him. He still has a grudge, I s'pose."

"That's a long time to hold a grudge," said Charlie pensively as he swished his tea around in his mug. "Especially against people who never personally did anything to him."

"He thinks we're all the same," added Mae. "He sees every Gryffindor as arrogant, overly confident, and full of themselves, but that isn't at all accurate. I don't even know where he got that from in the first place."

"What I don't understand is why Dumbledore would even hire him if he was so biased," said Lee.

"He's good a' wha' he does," explained Hagrid, who seemed to know more than he was letting on. "Dumbledore likes him, and if Dumbledore likes someone an' trusts 'em, then I do too."

"I wonder why Dumbledore likes him so much," Alicia asked quietly, chewing on her bottom lip.

Hagrid shrugged. "He has his reasons, even if he don't share 'em."

"I guess," said George. "But trustworthy or not, he's still the world's largest prat."

* * *

**Yay! Chapter Three! If Ivy and Friedel are reading, I hope you caught the reference. (:**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_It's so much more friendly with two.  
_**Winnie the Pooh**


	4. Confiscated and Highly Dangerous

**BIG THANK YOU TO: **_**Vampire Lover26, iamagriffin, SecretlyAGryffindor, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, -the smell of autumn-, **_**and**_** ash3lj0nas43v3r**_** for the wonderful reviews! You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize have been created by me. **

_The older you get, the more you realize that it's less important to have more friends and more important to have real ones._

**Chapter Three: Confiscated and Highly Dangerous**

Alicia was on the verge of sleep when someone began poking her lightly in the stomach. She knew immediately that it was George, for no one else knew that she happened to be extremely ticklish in that particular area.

"Jerk," she mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Wait, how did you get in here? I thought boys weren't allowed."

George grinned, looking eerie in the moonlight streaming through the curtain. "We're not. But if you're me and/or Fred, you learn to watch and observe. There's a trick stair a few up that you have to jump over, but once you've done that you're good to go."

"But you don't like to brag or anything," Alicia teased sarcastically. "What are you doing here?"

His grin widened, and she knew what was coming.

"We're going exploring. Fred, Lee, and I, I mean, and you're coming with us."

Alicia would very much liked to have slept, but the opportunity was far too good to pass up, so she slipped out of bed, pulled on her sneakers and a jacket, grabbed her wand from the bedside table, and followed George quietly out the door and down to the Common Room.

"About time," said Fred, clicking his fingers as he often did when antsy or impatient. "Let's go."

"Are we looking for anything specific?" asked Lee, who was bringing up the rear, bouncing along to the music that seemed to play continuously in his head, and which he quite often liked to turn into theme songs for whatever happened to be going on.

"Nah," answered George. "This is a scouting mission for future pranking ideas."

"Excellent," Lee grinned, rubbing his hands together in excitement and bursting into one of his tunes.

Alicia laughed and rolled her eyes, that was when she noticed something small, round, and black bulging from Fred's pockets.

"Dungbombs?" she asked. "What do we need those for?"

Fred grinned mischievously. "Think, Jack-Jack," he began, using the nickname he had created from her middle name. "What if someone finds us and we need a distraction for a hasty get-away?"

"Hmm, clever."

"I know," he told her with a wider grin, and lead the way down a dimly lit corridor.

That "cleverness," however, was short-lived when they reached the Entrance Hall and one of the dungbombs dropped from Fred's pocket and exploded with a _BANG!_

The four of them froze in their tracks, straining their temporarily-deafened ears for the sounds of an approaching teacher. And of course, seconds later, they were able to make out the speedy, hobbling limp of the aging, wizened caretaker.

"Run!" exclaimed Fred, sprinting off the opposite direction of the footsteps.

George, Alicia, and Lee tore after him, but Filch knew the halls far better than they did, and soon, between himself and his prowling cat, Mrs. Norris, the young Gryffindors were cornered.

George took a step back, pressing himself against the tapestry behind him – and disappeared. His hands emerged, grabbing Lee and Alicia by the arms and dragging them through the hidden passage as well. She stumbled backwards down a long dark hallway, holding onto Lee and George to keep herself from falling.

"Where's Fred?" she breathed, once she was steady.

The three of them simultaneously looked to the unmoving tapestry, and that was when they heard the caretaker's grizzly voice.

"Only your first week here and I've already caught you out of bed." There was something almost… _gleeful_ in his tone. "And you've got that bloody look-alike; he must be around here somewhere."

They watched the entrance to their hiding spot with baited breath, but when Fred spoke, he seemed to have no intention of letting them be found.

"Don't waste your time. It's just me tonight," he told the caretaker, no hint of fear or hesitance in his voice.

"Well, we'll see about that!"

The three Gryffindors inched backwards as quietly as they could, throwing themselves into deeper shadow as they did so.

"Follow this passage along," George whispered to Lee and Alicia, who were barely able to hear him though they were standing so close. "See if you can get back to the Common Room. He doesn't know you're here."

Alicia crossed her arms stubbornly and felt Lee do the same thing at her shoulder. "We're not leaving you."

George looked exasperated. "Don't be stupid. There's no point in all of us getting into trouble."

Alicia gave him a look, one she hoped was mirrored on Lee's face.

"We'll just lose more house points," George whispered urgently as Filch's footsteps came closer. "Just go, you idiots!"

And with that, he shoved them further down the corridor and spun around, just as a loud _whoosh _signaled the curtain had been thrown back. Lee grabbed Alicia by the wrist and dragged her backwards as the heard George's voice, already growing distant, ask, "Looking for me?"

* * *

Fred and George sat in Filch's office as the caretaker prattled on and on about the hindrance students were to the school. Fred yawned openly and looked around the cramped little room, which was stacked high with filing cabinets, each with a different letter to label them. In some cases, the words on the drawers were for items, others were students that seemed to have entire ones to themselves, though Fred could find only one of these, labeled S. _Black & J. Potter_.

His mood brightened instantly when he spotted the one next to it, which read _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous_. Fred elbowed his brother in the ribs subtly and nodded to the corner where it sat, George searched for a moment before a large grin spread across his face. "Highly Dangerous" was right up their alley.

Smirking, George waited until Filch paused to look down at the stack of forms he was holding and grabbed a dungbomb from Fred's pocket. He threw it into the hall and Fred only prayed it would hit something that would set it off. Sure enough, a few seconds later the office shook with a loud _BANG!_ And the drawers almost rattled out of their cabinets.

Filch's head snapped up and he gave the two boys a suspicious look, to which they played impeccably innocent. The caretaker stood and hobbled from the room, looking for the perpetrator, and Fred rushed to the drawer, where he snatched the first thing he touched. It appeared to be an old piece of parchment, but he did not have time to examine it before he could hear the uneven footsteps returning, so he shoved whatever it was hastily into his pocket and threw himself back into his chair.

"Get out!" barked Filch, wheezing from his run and a manic glint in his eye. "I bet that was Peeves, I have him this time for sure."

Not believing their luck, Fred and George sprinted from the room and hurried back through the many deserted corridors that led to the Common Room.

"Frog spawn," they said together once they reached the Fat Lady. ("The nerve of some people, coming back so late!" she grumbled as she let them through.)

They entered the Common Room to find it empty, so they hurried up to their room, hoping to find Lee. His bed, however, was still made neatly and there were no signs he had been back at all.

* * *

Alicia and Lee had followed the passage along in silence – there was even no music from Lee – until they came out somewhere in the dungeons.

"This is farther back than Snape's room," said Alicia. "Have you been here before?"

Lee shook his head, his spiky hair falling everywhere. "Come on, we'd better just start walking."

She nodded and he grabbed her hand, pulling her along. Alicia was glad she had him with her, she would never admit it, but it was quite comforting.

It was only when they passed a painting of Grindelwald for the third time that they noticed they had been going in circles.

"Well, shoot," muttered Lee, disappointed.

"Maybe we should try to go back through that passage we came from. It would lead us back by Filch's office, but I bet he's busy with Fred and George, so we could run."

"Alicia, it's been an hour at least, Fred and George are probably long gone and I can't say for certain that Filch even sleeps."

She laughed lightly at this and pulled him back to the tapestry from which they had emerged earlier and the two Gryffindors rushed back along it. When they finally reached the Entrance Hall, their noses wrinkled at the overwhelming smell of dungbombs.

"Ugh," Alicia groaned. "I forgot that Fred and George like to use the ones that get worse with time."

"Well, I _normally_ do, too," defended Lee. "This being the only exception to date."

She rolled her eyes and pulled him toward the grand staircase. "Come on, we don't want to stick around to see if Filch comes back."

He nodded and they half-walked, half-jogged their way back up to Gryffindor tower.

"Frog spawn."

"More of you?" the Fat Lady shrieked in indignation. "I have half a mind to make you spend the night out here!"

"Please just let us in?" asked Alicia sweetly. "We promise we won't ever do it again."

She sounded perfectly convincing, but Lee had to hide a grin when he saw her fingers cross behind her back. The Fat Lady huffed, but swung forward nonetheless.

"Nice," Lee told Alicia with a grin as they entered the empty Common Room.

She shrugged. "Learned from the best." She let out a large yawn and stretched her arms above her head. "I think I'll go to bed."

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

Alicia trudged up the staircase that led to her dormitory and entered it to find Angelina, Kim, and Patricia all fast asleep. Suddenly exhausted, she crawled into bed and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Saturday dawned bright and early on a pretty blonde girl sitting under a beech tree by the lake, talking absently to the Giant Squid as it basked in the first rays of sunlight.

"I just don't know what to do," she told him quietly. "I mean, he's my best friend. I can't possibly be feeling anything more than that, can I? It would ruin everything."

The beauty and tragedy of spilling one's heart to a mythical creature was the fact that, try as he might to convey hundreds of years wisdom, the Giant Squid simply could not form the words to do so.

Mae sighed and tucked her legs beneath her as she perched on the edge of the lake. "He was my first friend, and still is my very best. What am I going to do?"

The Giant Squid merely stared at her through one of his large, yellow eyes. Mae sighed again, knowing full well that she had two options. She could repress her newfound feelings for Charlie and hoped they went away on their own, or she could make them known and put fourteen years of friendship on the line. She may be a Gryffindor, but even to her the second was not worth the risk.

"Hey, Fi, I thought I saw you out here," said the very person who had been troubling her thoughts ever since they had returned to school.

"Don't call me that," she reminded him off-handedly, though she knew they were alone.

Charlie chuckled. "Come on, Mae-be, you know you'll never be able to get me to stop."

Mae had to laugh as well, shaking her head and biting her lip to keep a silly grin off her face. "I know, I know, but it's worth a try."

"If it makes you happy," he told her with a smile that lit up his beautiful blue eyes, and Mae had to look away, praying to anyone who would listen that she was not falling for him the way she thought she might be.

"So what are you doing out here so early?" she asked him, instead of saying what was truly on her heart.

"Looking for you, of course, what else would I ever do with my precious time?" he joked.

Mae rolled her eyes, hoping that he could not hear her heartbeat speed up as he sat down in the grass right beside her. "I don't know; maybe do your job as Quidditch Captain? And maybe squeeze in some prefect duties here and there."

"You're trying to tell me that sports are more important than my best friend?" he asked in mock surprise, pretending to look taken-aback.

Mae laughed again, it was impossible not to when he was around. "I'm trying to tell you that your responsibilities should take precedence."

"Not right this second," he replied, laying back in the grass and watching the sky fade from pink to blue.

Mae pressed her lips together in frustration and silently cursed Merlin for allowing this conversation to take place at the very moment in which she was so confused.

She knew it was simply ridiculous that she could ever even think she was falling for him, especially when so many other guys at the school liked her and would ask her out the moment she gave them any indication that she was interested. But, the thing was, all of those boys liked her _now_, when she was Head Girl and pretty and got good grades. Charlie, on the other hand, had been with her through the phase of their lives when all they wanted to do was eat bugs with the birds and chase gnomes around in the backyard. He had been there on the first night of Hogwarts, stayed by her side on the train, on the boat, and in the Great Hall. Then he had stuck with her through the ugly years, the time when they both had acne and were growing too quickly and out of proportion. He had been there through the bad stuff to see the other side, where the other boys were just coming now.

But then, that was all the more reason to _not_ have feelings for him. They had been through so much together, how could they be anything other than friends? How could he ever like someone he had known when she was gross, then scared, then ugly? Her possible feelings would never be returned, so it made so much more sense to forget them before they ever really began.

* * *

"Ally!" the whisper barely touched the edge of her consciousness, but the poke in the stomach jolted Alicia awake. "Ally! Good, you're awake."

"Oh good grief," Alicia moaned when she found Fred and George sitting on the end of her bed. She turned to lay face down and put her pillow over her ears.

"Come on, Alicia," said Fred, pulling the pillow away and beating her with it. George prodded her in the side, making her shriek and jump up.

"Okay, okay, you prats, I'm awake," growled Alicia, pulling herself into a sitting position and glaring at her best friends. "What do you want?"

They quickly told her the story of what had happened after she and Lee had gotten away. The mischievous gleam in their crystal blue eyes sparked her interest immediately when they got to the part about the filing cabinets.

"What did you get?" she asked excitedly as George explained how they miraculously got away.

Fred pulled a very old, ratty piece of parchment from his back pocket. "We're not sure yet, but it has to be something. I imagine if Filch was able to figure out that it's dangerous, it must be pretty obvious."

"True," laughed Alicia. "Has Lee seen it yet?"

George nodded. "We were still awake when you got back last night and we showed him then, but none of us could figure it out."

"Well then," said Alicia, slipping out of bed and looking around for her shoes. "We'll have a go with it after breakfast, shall we?"

The worried looks the two boys gave her were not encouraging. Noticing that all of her roommates were still sound asleep, Alicia ran a hand through her hair angrily and rounded on the twins.

"What time is it, exactly?"

Fred looked slightly intimidated, but squared his shoulders. "It's about five-ish."

"_Five-ish_!" exclaimed Alicia. "Fredrick Gideon Weasley, what on earth were you thinking? It's Saturday!"

"Aw, come on, Alicia, you know my name isn't really Frederick."

George laughed. "I think that's beside the point."

"Don't you take my side," Alicia told George, though her anger was already ebbing away. "This is just as much your fault as it is his."

"Wazgoinon?" Angelina asked groggily, drawing back her curtains.

Alicia, whose curtains were already opened, groaned, knowing this would not end well for the twins.

"George and I just came to tell you how lovely you look this morning," answered Fred smoothly, giving Angelina a charming grin.

Angelina swore, waking Kim and Patricia, who had the sense to stay inside the safety of their hangings.

"I know, I know," said Fred, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. "I'm just too good-looking to take in at this ungodly hour."

"_Fred Weasley if you do not get out of our dormitory this instant I swear I'll –"_

But whatever she would have done to them, they never found out, for Fred grabbed George and Alicia's wrists and quickly dragged them from the room before Angelina began breathing fire.

"What'd you bring me for?" asked Alicia, her grey eyes flashing. "I wanted to go back to sleep."

Fred looked at her in mock-offence. "The prince was just trying to save the fair lady from the evil dragon's wrath."

Alicia laughed. "You've been reading too many Muggle fairytales. Just don't expect a kiss," she teased, pinching his cheek.

Fred gave her a disgusted look, and turned to head out the portrait hole. "Come on, let's go find the kitchens and see if we can get an early breakfast."

Alicia, who was now wide awake, could not ignore the angry growl of her stomach. "All right, but by the time we get anywhere close, the Great Hall will probably be open."

"Don't be such a downer," George laughed. "Besides, Charlie _may _have already told us where they are."

* * *

**All righty, I certainly hope you enjoyed it! Can't you just Fred being all noble and taking the blame every once and a while? As for Charlie and Mae, just so you know, I've totally fallen in love with their characters and with writing them, they are so fun! :D**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I would love to have ten on this chapter. (:**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_Walk into any club on the strip tonight and just look at the kids.  
Look into their eyes. I mean, they're all looking for something to believe in, and I think that music can be the thing to change the world._


	5. Quidditch and A Clue

**THANK YOU: **_**Vampire Lover26, SecretlyAGryffindor, iamagriffin, -the smell of autumn-, pinkpearl89, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, ashl3yj0nas43v3r, UndercoverHufflepuff,**_** and**_** Marteczka's**__**Quill**_** for the wonderful reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize have been created by me.**

_All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better._

**Chapter Four: Quidditch and A Clue**

Though the year had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, it soon feel into a rhythm all its own. Before they knew it, the Gryffindors found themselves in mid-October, dressed warmly in scarves, gloves, and hats, all crimson and gold. They were heading down to the Quidditch pitch for the first match of the season – Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Alicia led the way into the stands, where she found seats for herself, Fred, George, Lee, and Angelina next to Mae and Hagrid. Charlie was on the team – Captain and Seeker – so Mae and her giant friend had painted his name across their faces.

"Hey guys!" said Kim brightly, turning around from where she sat a row down with Kenneth and Patricia. "Are you excited or what?"

"Definitely," Alicia answered immediately, while the others nodded vigorously. "What's wrong, Trish?"

Patricia was, as usual, chewing nervously on her fingernails. "I've just heard a lot of bad things about Quidditch matches, about people getting hurt and even killed."

"Don't worry," Fred told her with a laugh. "That's only in professional games."

Patricia did not look reassured, but nodded and turned around to watch the players take the field.

"I would like to welcome you all to the first Quidditch match of the season," said a boy with a rather bored voice through a large megaphone. Alicia looked to the commentator's booth to see a tall Ravenclaw boy with short blonde hair speaking to the crowd.

"Justin Dyer," explained Mae, leaning down to talk into her sister's ear. "He's in my year, and this is about as excited as he gets."

Alicia laughed, but it was lost in screams and boos as the Slytherin team took the pitch.

"Here come the Slytherins," announced Justin Dyer, his voice little more than monotone. "Captain and Beater Zane Flint, followed by younger brother and Chaser Marcus, Chaser Pucey, Keeper Bletchley, Beater Donovan, Chaser Queen, and Seeker Higgs."

Everyone on the team was massive, even the Seeker, who should have been light and speedy. Alicia thought that they must value brawn over brains, because most of the team looked as though they had stumbled onto the pitch by mistake.

There was another explosion of noise as the Gryffindors appeared.

"Now for the Gryffindor Team," Dyer called blandly. "Captain and Seeker Charlie Weasley, Keeper Wood, Chaser Ryan, Beater Presley, Chaser Todd, Chaser Marks, and Beater Harrison."

Alicia thought that the Gryffindor team looked much more reasonable. Charlie was a bit big for a Seeker, but compared to Higgs, he was tiny. Presley and Harrison – the Beaters – were the biggest, and rightly so. Wood was the smallest on the team, which was good for a Keeper because it allowed him to move quickly, and the Chasers fell somewhere in between everyone else.

"Captains, shake hands!" called Madam Hooch, flying instructor and Quidditch referee, from the center of the field. They did, and everyone mounted their brooms. "On my whistle, three, two, one –"She blew it shrilly and the Quaffle, Bludgers, and Snitch were released.

"Quaffle immediately take by Chelsea Todd," Dyer informed them, and Alicia cheered along with the other Gryffindors. "She heading toward the Slytherin end, passes to MaKayla Marks, who dodges a Bludger and passes to Victoria Ryan, back to Todd, she swerves around Flint and Donovan, takes a Bludger to the side, but she's still going. She shoots – Bletchley misses, and Gryffindor scores. 10 – 0 to Gryffindor."

The red and gold clad fans burst into applause.

"How could anyone sound that bored?" Lee asked in disbelief as Dyer continued his commentary.

Fred grinned. "And I bet you think you could do better."

"You know," Lee began, his face lighting up. Alicia could almost hear the happy music that must be playing in his head. "I really could!"

"You should, Lee," she told him with a smile. "I bet you'd make it loads more interesting.

"Absolutely," George agreed. "You could probably talk about_ flobberworms_ and still make it more entertaining than this guy."

"I think it's a great idea," added Angelina. "You should talk to McGonagall."

"Maybe I will," Lee mused, staring off into space.

"Trent Queen with the Quaffle, passes to Adrian Pucey, back to Queen, who is hit with a Bludger from Presley. He drops the Quaffle, which is caught by Todd, who drops it, too. Marcus Flint is now in possession. He dodges a Bludger from Harrison and shoots – Wood saves it, still 10 – 0 Gryffindor."

Ryan and Marks each scored another goal, and Flint had just made Slytherin's first shot when suddenly…

"Charlie Weasley dives, he must see the Snitch," Dyer continued as if he was talking about the weather. "He circles the Gryffindor goal posts, tailed by Higgs. They're heading toward the Slytherin end – and Weasley comes out of the dive, Snitch in hand. That's it everyone, Gryffindor wins 170 – 10."

The Gryffindor end exploded into screams and cheers as the triumphant team gathered joyously around their captain, lifting him onto the Beaters shoulders as the others embraced each other in a large group hug. Charlie must have spotted Hagrid above the crowd, because he waved to the giant and Mae, Snitch still in his hand, as the team carried him off into the locker room.

"Come on," said Mae, nudging Alicia in the ribs. "Let's go, there'll be a party in the Common Room."

So after a quick goodbye to Hagrid, the two sisters led the other exuberant Gryffindors back up to the castle.

"Mae!" yelled Emily, who was skipping toward them with Evan jogging to keep up. "Mae! Come on, we've got to go get the food!"

The blonde laughed at her friend, who was dressed head-to-toe in crimson and gold, with her face painted and everything. "All right, all right, calm down, Em." She turned to the first years. "You lot go ahead and get upstairs, we'll be there in a minute."

They nodded and split ways, hurrying up to the Common Room. Once there, they found the fourth years putting up decorations, a sixth year trying to tune to old radio, and the fifth years were conjuring plates and goblets.

Mae, Emily, and Evan entered a few moments later with Mason, another seventh year, arms laden with every kind of food they could imagine.

The party was well underway when the portrait hole opened again to reveal the Gryffindor Quidditch team, freshly showered and grinning widely. The nearest fans screamed and pulled them inside, and each player was immediately surrounded.

"I can't wait until we're on the team," Fred sighed, watching as a large group of pretty girls flirted shamelessly with Charlie. Angelina rolled her eyes and Alicia slapped Fred on the back of the head. "Oi! Don't worry, Ange," he continued, rubbing the spot she hit. "You know I've only got eyes for you anyway."

It was her turn to slap him, and she definitely took it. Once she had, she turned to Alicia and George. "So are you guys going to try out next year?"

"That's the plan," George told her, as his brother took a place on his opposite side – away from the girls. "Most of the team is in seventh year anyway, so we'll have a decent shot at making it."

"Who all is staying?"

"Well," Fred began. "Wood's in third year, and he's good, so he'll be there."

"And Chelsea Todd and MaKayla Marks – two of the Chasers – are in sixth," added George. "One of them will probably be captain. What about you two?"

"I'm going to try," Alicia answered immediately.

Angelina nodded. "Me too. Hey, we should get together over the summer and practice!"

"Yeah, we've got a spot in the wood behind our house that's prefect!" offered Fred.

"And then Lee could work on his commentating as well," added Alicia.

"Wait," said George, looking around. "Where _is _Lee?"

The four friends spun in circles, looking for their lost comrade. Fred spotted him first and burst into loud peals of laughter.

"What?" the others asked and followed his line of sight. There was Lee, standing talking animatedly to Mae, who looked as though she did not know whether to be worried or amused. The blonde was soon saved by Charlie, however, who had broken away from his admirers and led her over to the drinks.

Lee returned, looking slightly put-out, but brightened immediately when they told him of their plan.

"Do you think the commentator gets as much attention as the players?" he asked, watching as Adam Presley and Troy Harrison were followed by girls everywhere they went.

Alicia looked at Angelina and the two girls rolled their eyes, giving Lee a slap like the one Fred had received moments before.

* * *

It was the weekend after the first match of the season, and the seventh-year Care of Magical Creatures class was preparing for the camping trip that was about to take place. They went on many throughout the year, as Professor Kettleburn wanted them to have a much real-life experience as possible. The class would hike through the forest until they found a good clearing and set up camp Muggle-style. It was always quite the adventure, and they ended up learning a lot.

Charlie and Tyler tried to start a fire the way the Muggles did, just for fun, but they seemed to be having trouble. Mae laughed from her spot setting up one of the tents, but chose to leave them be. Just because her Muggle grandfather had taught her the proper way to strike flint did not means the boys would not figure it out eventually.

"We've got more wood!" exclaimed Harper Debbs, emerging from the forest with Roxanne Banes and Troy Harrison. Their arms were laden with twigs and branches.

"Excellent," said Tyler, jumping as his spark caught and accidentally blowing it out. Charlie rolled his eyes and took the stones, trying to light it once more.

Martha and Lance Holmes – both magnificent cooks – sat on some old logs they had rolled into the clearing years before, joking around with Ed Poppy, all of them waiting for the fire so their jobs could begin.

"Oi, Silver!" called Megan Faust. "Give me a hand with this tent, would you?"

Mae smiled to herself as he and Roman Slater did so. It was always nice to see Slytherins working well with other Houses, and she never saw that as much as she did in this class. Of course, Roxanne, Silver, and Roman were the only Slytherins that still took it, but the three of them were shining examples of what everyone in their House should act like.

"Hey there, little lady," joked Harvey Pate, coming up behind Mae and taking the remaining tent rods from her hands. "Allow us to give you a hand with that."

She grinned and let Harvey and his friend, Dale Harris, take over, laughing at their chivalry, before going to join the others around the now-smoking fire.

"I see you finally figured it out," she teased, plopping down on a log next to Charlie.

He smiled at her, and she bit her lip to keep her heart from melting. "You'd think after doing for however many years it is now, I'd get the hang of it."

"You would think," Mae told him, giving him a sly grin. "But I suppose you purebloods will just never get the hang of the Muggle side of life."

"I still say this class needs a t-shirt," Tyler piped up. "One that says _Embrace Your Inner__ Muggle_ in big letters."

"We've been pushing that one for three years, mate," his best friend, Ed, said, shaking his head in disappointment. "But no one ever agrees."

Everyone laughed as the remaining campers joined them around the fire. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a warm glow through their little clearing.

"All right, circle up!" Kettleburn exclaimed happily, rubbing his hand and the stump of his wrist together as he often did when excited. "Time for our powwow."

The students groaned in false annoyance, simply because they had always done so. In truth, Mae knew that each of them enjoyed the time more than they would like to admit.

"Miss Roxy," Kettleburn began, handing her the first marshmallow on a stick. "Would you like to begin?"

Roxanne smiled and rolled her eyes as he continued to call her by a nickname she had stopped using in her fourth year. She took the stick as he began to hand them to the others and started to talk. "Well, things have been okay, so far. Although, I did try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and they wouldn't let me on. They said I didn't have enough House spirit or pride since most of my classes have a majority of other Houses."

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Charlie, looking at her as though she was crazy. "You're the best Keeper in the school – even better than Wood – and certainly better than Bletchley."

"I was wondering why you weren't playing," added Mae, surprised that Zane Flint would give up such a valuable player simply because she enjoyed the company of other Houses more than her own.

"I went to Professor Snape," Roxanne continued, turning her marshmallow over and staring at it thoughtfully. "But he was no help at all. He always takes Zane's side."

"Now," Kettleburn went on, looking at each of them in turn. "What is something positive that will come from this experience?"

"Well," began Roxanne, placing her finished marshmallow on a graham cracker with a piece of chocolate. "I'll definitely have more time for homework, so I'll do well on my N.E.W.T.S."

"And remember that Dumbledore made you a prefect," Mae told her reassuringly. "Which means that he obviously sees something special in you."

"Plus, we all know you're a brilliant player, and if you ever want to play professionally, the scouts have seen you in previous years," added Charlie.

"And on top of all of that," Harper went on, tying her long black hair up in a ponytail. "We all love you no matter what House you're in."

"Thanks," said Roxanne. "You have no idea how much I miss these powwows over the summer. They make problems seem so much more insignificant."

Kettleburn grinned widely at this and turned to Mae, who was next in the circle.

"My year has been pretty good. My little sister, Alicia, just started school, so I love being able to see her around and eat with her and everything."

"So you and your sister are close?" asked the professor.

Mae smiled. "Yes sir, we've always gotten along well."

"And what about being Head Girl?" Harper inquired. "It is fun or stressful?"

"A little bit of both," Mae told her honestly. "I love being involved, but sometimes, the workload gets to be a little much – what with N.E.W.T.S. and everything."

For the first time, she wished Charlie were not in this class, for then she could speak openly about her newfound and confusing feelings. Of course, she would never have taken Care of Magical Creatures in the first place had it not been for her best friend. Professor Kettleburn seemed to sense that she was hiding something, for he gave her a significant look before turning to the next student.

* * *

"We just can't figure out what it does," Fred told her in frustration.

Alicia sat with the twins and Lee on one of the beds in the boys' dormitory. The curtains were drawn shut and the ratty old piece of parchment they had nicked from Filch's office lay open in front of them.

"We're not very experienced," Alicia reminded them, for they all had their wands out and no idea what to do with them. "Why don't we just tap it and tell it to do something?"

George and Lee gave her disbelieving looks.

"You really think that will work?" snorted Fred.

Alicia shrugged. "It's worth a try."

So George placed the tip of his wand lightly on the unfolded parchment. "Erm," he began awkwardly. "Do something?"

Nothing happened.

"Sound more confident," suggested Alicia.

"Here," said Fred, pulling it towards him and bringing his own wand to it. "I order you to do something!"

And then, words began to ink themselves quickly and gracefully across the age-yellowed paper.

_Order, huh? Mr. Padfoot believes that it is the Marauders who deserve to do any ordering._

The four first years jumped slightly and looked at each other, mouthing "Padfoot?" and "Marauders?".

_Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Padfoot, however, seeing as you were able to find this worthy object of our creation, then surely you deserve a chance to use it._

_Mr. Padfoot would like to add that Mr. Prongs' statement does not apply if the finders of this object are in Slytherin._

_Mr. Moony concurs, unless such students have changed in the years since we attended school._

"Er," Alicia began, her voice barely a whisper. "And what is this object, exactly?"

_What is this object? Mr. Wormtail would like to say that anyone able to retrieve it from the caretaker's office is surely clever enough to find out what it is and how to use it._

_Unless of course it was found by mistake._

_True, Mr. Padfoot, very true. One question is all that matters._

_And why don't you tell them what it, Mr. Prongs._

_Certainly, Mr. Moony. The question, my young friends is simply this: are you trouble makers worthy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?_

Alicia looked to Fred, who had a wide grin on his face, and his crystal blue eyes were sparkling with mischief. "We definitely plan to be," he answered firmly.

_Good, very good. Then we, Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, offer you one clue and one clue only. All it takes is a mischief-maker's vow._

"And what is that vow?" asked Lee.

_To find it, simply search the place you are least likely to go._

And then the words cleared and it looked like nothing more than an old piece of parchment.

* * *

"Mae?" Kettleburn asked, sitting down next to her on a large rock at the edge of the clearing.

The blonde turned to her tall, thin professor, knowing what he was about to say. "Yes, sir?"

"You did not seem to be completely truthful in our powwow earlier."

Mae looked down at the leaves on the ground and bit her bottom lip. "I didn't lie, sir, but I didn't tell you everything."

"I thought as much," he mused, nodding pensively. "Do you know why I bring you kids out here?"

"Well, I know it isn't only to learn about magical creatures," she answered, smiling slightly.

"Perceptive," Kettleburn went on in his usual light but intelligent manner. "School is not only to learn about the subjects we teach, but for students to learn about themselves as well."

"I thought as much," Mae echoed. "But… what I wanted to say, I just, I couldn't. Not with…"

"Charlie sitting there?"

Mae's eyes snapped to his and her mouth dropped partway open. "Am I that obvious?"

"No," Kettleburn informed her, staring off into the depths of the forest. "But I've taught both of you for years. I know how you work, how you think, and I can see these things, even when I am sure others can't."

Mae nodded, relieved. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"I'm no expert on the emotions of teenage girls, but if it helps, Charlie can't go along looking at you forever without falling for you as well."

Mae smiled at this, but she had no idea whether Charlie falling for her was what she wanted, or if it would only hurt their friendship in the end.

* * *

**Well, did you like it? I hope so. I really plan on going fast through first year, so hopefully it will only last for a few more chapters, just so you know.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_Mathematics may not teach us to inhale oxygen & exhale carbon dioxide or to love a friend & forgive an enemy. But it gives us every reason to hope that every problem has a solution._


	6. The Magic Words

**THANK YOU: **_**Marteczka's Quill, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, -the smell of autumn-, Vampire Lover26, iamagriffin,**__**xExpectoxPatronumx, SecretlyAGryffindor, **_**and**_** UndercoverHufflepuff **_**for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me.**

_Under the streetlight, dancing by herself; she is waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life._

**Chapter Five: The Magic Words**

"As your first semester draws to a close, each House would like to do a short evaluation on the thoughts and feelings of our students," McGonagall told them in her stern voice. Alicia watched as she handed out parchment died blue to the Ravenclaws, and crimson to the Gryffindors. The curly-haired brunette looked at the sheet in her hands and saw that it was simple questionnaire, with mostly basic questions, so she pulled her quill and ink toward her and began to write.

_- What is your name?_

_Alicia Spinnet_

_- What has been the best part of the year so far?_

_Well, I really liked going to the Quidditch matches, but I guess if you mean what class I liked the best, I'm going to have to say that Potions is my favorite subject, but it would be better with a different teacher. (Am I allowed to say that?) And Defense Against the Dark Arts is a lot of fun._

_- Have you enjoyed this semester at Hogwarts?_

_Very much, yes._

_- Have you made any good friends?_

_Oh, yes. I was already best friends with Fred and George when I came here, then I met Lee, who always makes me laugh. He's really fun to be around and he's now one of my best friends. Angelina is really great, too. She's kind of intimidating sometimes, but I always have a good time with her and it's nice to have a girl to talk to. Kim is really nice, like, one of the nicest people I've ever met, and Kenneth, too. Plus, they're both brilliant. Patricia's a good friend, but I think she worries too much. Justine Walters and Travis Marigold from Hufflepuff are my best friends from other Houses, and they are really fun and so kind._

_- And where do you see yourself seven years from now?_

_Graduating! If Fred and George don't distract me so much that I get held back. I don't really know what job I want to have, if that's what you're asking. I suppose something in Quidditch would be fun, but I guess all that really matters is that my friends and I are happy. As long as we have that, I don't really care where we go from there._

Alicia put her quill down and her paper floated gracefully up to the red stack on the corner of McGonagall's desk.

- - - - - - -

_- What is your name?_

_Fred Weasley_

_- What has been the best part of the year so far?_

_Quidditch, the food. Transfiguration, of course._

_- Have you enjoyed this semester at Hogwarts?_

_Yeah._

_- Have you made any good friends?_

_There's Alicia, who I already knew. She's the best, but I beat her at everything. Lee's pretty cool, he's a funny bloke. Angelina, but I like to call her Angel, it makes her mad. Oh, and there's this guy named George, quite handsome for being eleven._

_- And where do you see yourself seven years from now?_

_Based on my current record, I would be willing bet I'll be in detention. But if you mean for a job, something to do with pranking and practical jokes, definitely._

- - - - - - -

_- What is your name?_

_George Weasley_

_- What has been the best part of the year so far?_

_Quidditch is always fun to watch (Go Gryffindor!), Charms class is all right, and Defense isn't bad._

_- Have you enjoyed this semester at Hogwarts?_

_Yes, especially that one detention where Fred and I got to help Hagrid in the forest (after we nearly flooded the Great Hall with pumpkin juice). Those centaurs were so cool!_

_- Have you made any good friends?_

_Well, Alicia's always been my best friend, other than Fred. I met Lee and Angelina on the train, and they're great. Lee's hilarious, I hope you let him be Quidditch commentator next year, professor! He'll do a much better job than that Justin kid. Angelina's nice too, but I wouldn't cross her. Kenneth, our other roommate is all right, but he studies too much in my opinion (er, bad thing to say?). Justine and Travis from Hufflepuff are my favorite other-Housers, and I'm glad that we have so many classes with them._

_- And where do you see yourself seven years from now?_

_Well, hopefully, I'll be out of school and very successful in whatever I decide to do. I think it would be cool to own a joke shop or something. All I know is that there is no way I want to work in the Ministry._

- - - - - - -

_- What is your name?_

_Lee Jordan_

_- What has been the best part of the year so far?_

_My favorite part would have to be going to the Quidditch matches. I do commentary for Alicia and George, and they always think it's funny. But if you mean a class, well… I suppose Defense Against the Dark Arts would have to be the best._

_- Have you enjoyed this semester at Hogwarts?_

_Definitely._

_- Have you made any good friends?_

_Fred and George are hilarious! We like most all of the same things, so we get along great. And there's Alicia, who I totally wish was my sister, she would be so much cooler than Kris and Leslie. Angelina can be kind of scary, but she's still a great friend and tons of fun._

_- And where do you see yourself seven years from now?_

_Well, hopefully, I'll have been Quidditch commentator here (wink, wink), and then I can get some sort of job in that. So don't ruin my future by not giving me a chance!_

- - - - - - -

_- What is your name?_

_Angelina Johnson_

_- What has been the best part of the year so far?_

_Watching Quidditch! I can't wait until I get to play. But for a class, I would have to say Transfiguration._

_- Have you enjoyed this semester at Hogwarts?_

_Oh, yes ,very much._

_- Have you made any good friends?_

_Yes! Alicia is my favorite roommate (don't tell Kim or Patricia!) because she's so laid back and fun to be around. She always makes boring situations into good times. Then there's Fred and George, who have got to be the funniest people I have ever met! Fred gets on my nerves sometimes, but he makes me laugh more often than not. Lee is funny, too. He really likes music, so he makes everything more interesting by adding a theme song._

_- And where do you see yourself seven years from now?_

_I want to become a professional Quidditch player, for sure. That has been my ambition since I was five and got a toy broomstick for Christmas!_

- - - - - - -

Charlie, Mae, Emily, Evan, and Victoria bundled up in coats, hats, and scarves and headed out to meet some of their other friends for one last snowball fight before the holidays. They found their group congregating by an old winter-dead beech tree by the frozen lake and hurried to join them.

"All right," said Tyler McQuin, rubbing his gloved hands together in excitement. "Charlie's here, good. You're a team captain, and I'm the other, so everyone line up!"

They laughed and did as their exuberant friend told them.

"You can pick first," Charlie told Tyler, who looked ready to explode from excitement.

"Excellent! I choose Ed!"

His best friend, who was of a larger build than slender-but-strong Tyler, stepped from the line with his signature grin in place.

"Mae, naturally," Charlie told her.

Mae raised her eyebrows. "You know I'm awful at this."

"You are," agreed Charlie with a wide smile. "But if we're picking best friends first, you're number one."

Mae tried to hide a blush as she joined Charlie's side.

"Roxanne," Tyler chose next, and the athletic girl with braids in her long brown hair grinned and took her place with her team.

"Evan," picked Charlie.

"Troy."

"Victoria."

"Silver."

"Emily."

"Martha."

And it went on until there were two teams with about ten on each side, ready to go.

"Charlie, I picked first, so do you want the lake or the forest?"

"Forest," Charlie answered immediately, and led his team away.

"You've got fifteen minutes!" Tyler called after them. "Then we start, same rules as always!"

So Mae and her team rushed into the forest, staying on the outskirts so as not to get in trouble. They built a wall that would serve as their base, and began making as many snowballs as they could. Evan, Victoria, and Emily hoisted themselves up into one of the trees so they could attack from above, while the others spread out on the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, they began, hell all but breaking loose as they went after each other.

- - - - - - -

Mae sat by the fire in the Common Room, bundled up in a large blanket and sipping some steaming tea that Plonk, one of the house elves, had brought her. She sniffled, a cold beginning to form, and looked up as the portrait hole opened. Charlie entered the room and spotted Mae, so he strode over and plopped down beside her on the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She knew her nose was pink and her eyes probably looked tired.

"Fine," Mae told him automatically, though nearly groaned at the thickness of her voice.

"You are not," he argued, rubbing her back absentmindedly, which sent chill bumps up Mae's spine. "You're sick."

The blonde just shook her head stubbornly, not wanting to waste a night in the hospital wing or take that dreadful Pepperup Potion, but she was overcome with a fit of coughing.

Charlie waited until they subsided. "You're sick, Fi. Come on, I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey."

This time, she shook her head violently, curls bouncing around her face.

"I know you hate Pepperup Potion, but you really need it," Charlie told her gently. "I don't want you to be sick over Christmas."

Mae rolled her eyes at him, as if she could ever deny the pleading note in his voice. "All right, all right."

Charlie grinned, oblivious to the effect he was beginning to have on her, and jumped up to offer her a hand. She took it, and allowed him to pull her up off the floor and all the way to the hospital wing.

- - - - - - -

Alicia sat alone in the library finishing some last minute homework. She rubbed her tired eyes and set down her quill, before slowly standing and stretching and going to put her books away. As she reached the shelf she was looking for, Alicia noticed one of the older books sticking out at an odd angle. Reading the spine, she found it to be _Hogwarts: A History_, and the curly haired brunette had a sudden idea. She shoved the books in her hands into random places (ignoring their protests) and pulled the school's history off the shelf.

She flipped to the index and scanned the long list, before finding what she was looking for, _Magical Objects_. Alicia tore through the pages until she got to the one she wanted, and sure enough, scrawled right beneath the title, written upside down and backwards, was a short, simply phrase: _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_.

A grin broke across her face and she pushed the book back into place before sprinting from the library and up to Gryffindor Tower. She raced into the boys' dormitory to find them packing in a flurry.

"You're still not done?" she asked in surprise. "Oh, never mind, that isn't important. Where's that parchment?"

George gave her a puzzled look as Fred went to his nightstand and pulled it from under the bottom of the drawer.

"You're lucky Kenneth's with Kim and Trish," Lee told her, glancing around the room. "He might have told someone."

Alicia rolled her eyes and took the parchment from Fred, unfolding it and laying it on one of the beds. "It doesn't matter, I think I might know how to work it."

"What? How?"

"I was in the library, and you remember how it told us to look in the place that mischief makers are most unlikely to go?"

All three boys nodded.

"Well, I had been wondering if maybe the library could be that place, but it was so big there was no way we would find anything. But when I went to put my books away, _Hogwarts: A History_ was sticking out. So I got an idea, I found the section on objects, and I found a sentence there. It looked like the same handwriting as that fellow Mr. Prongs writes with."

They were beginning to look as excited as she felt, Fred was clicking his fingers. "Well? Do something!"

Alicia laughed and pulled out her wand, placing the tip to the parchment and taking a deep breath. "Merlin, I hope this works," she muttered. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And sure enough, not words, but pictures and lines began to ink themselves across the page, spreading out from the tip of her wand in all directions and filling the parchment with what looked to be some sort of map. The words came last, written across the top in elegant cursive.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of aids to Magical Mischief-Makers_

_Are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

"Whoa," Fred breathed. "Is this Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," George answered softly, his crystal blue eyes taking in every detail. "And look, are those, no way, that can't be _us_."

"I think it is," Alicia answered softly.

They were looking at a top view of the Gryffindor Tower, and there was the boys' dormitory, with four tiny figures crowded around something, each labeled with their names.

"I think it shows everyone," observed Lee, pointing to the Common Room, where Charlie and Mae were sitting by the fire. He opened another fold to reveal the Great Hall, where Kenneth, Patricia, and Kim were eating dinner, and another that showed Professor Dumbledore pacing his study.

"This is incredible," Alicia told them. "We'll be able to go anywhere in the castle!"

"And never get caught," added Fred. "We'll know whenever a teacher is coming."

"We'll be the best pranksters in the school!" exclaimed Lee excitedly, going into one of his upbeat, adventurous tunes.

George grinned. "Hogwarts, here we come."

- - - - - - -

Mae sat on one of the beds in the hospital wing, her legs dangling off the side so she could face Charlie, who was in a chair beside her. Her ears were still smoking from the Pepperup Potion Madam Pomfrey had given her, and Mae thought it suited her well, for the blonde was absolutely fuming in anger.

"I can't believe she's actually making me stay the night! I feel fine now," she hissed, glaring daggers at the nurse, who was giving the same potion to a little second year Ravenclaw.

"Relax, Mae," Charlie told her soothingly, though she knew he was trying to hide a grin as he patted her knee. "It's just one night."

"But Charlie," she argued, ignoring the warmth that was spreading through her at this small contact that had nothing to do with the Pepperup Potion. "I have to pack! And tomorrow's your birthday, I don't want to be stuck in here."

Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry about that, you'll be out of here in no time."

"But –" her protest was cut off as his large, calloused hand gently covered her mouth.

"No buts."

"Here, Miss Spinnet," said Madam Pomfrey, handing her some maroon pajamas. "If you'll just change into these."

Mae shot the woman another glare as she walked away, which made Charlie laugh. "I'll be right back," Mae grumbled, pulling the screen in front of her bed so she could change. The pajamas were a few sizes too big and Mae had to tie the string extra tight on the pants just to keep them up. It didn't really bother her, but she knew she would look ridiculous in front of Charlie.

"Well, aren't those flattering," he joked as she pushed the screen away.

Mae stuck out her tongue. "I bet I pull them off better than you could."

"I don't know," said Charlie. "At least they might fit me."

"I'm sorry we can't all be as muscular as you," she shot back before she could stop herself.

Charlie smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, so you think I'm muscular, do you?"

"Er," Mae told him lamely, feeling her face heat up. "I guess so."

Charlie's smirk grew larger. "Why, thank you," he said with a wink."

Mae forced a laugh, feeling as though her insides we melting. _Get a grip_, she thought. _It was just a bloody wink!_

"Oh, stop smirking like that," she told him half-heartedly. "It's not like you're not used to by now."

"Used to what?" he asked in mock-ignorance. "Girls telling me how attractive I am? Believe me, it gets better every time. But don't feel bad, all girls think that. We Weasley men are just naturally gorgeous."

Mae did not have to force a laugh this time, it burst forth of its own accord, leaving her gasping for air. "You're also naturally conceited."

"You admit that I'm good looking, then," Charlie grinned.

Mae blushed, and chose to deflect the question to keep out of the hole she was digging herself into. "If you're all so attractive, why is it none of you have girlfriends?"

Charlie's ears turned pink for the first time since the start of the conversation and he suddenly became very interested in a fray in his jeans. "I guess none of us have ever found a worthy girl."

Mae tried to ignore the hand squeezing her heart at this statement. Did that mean that she would never be good enough for him?

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over, shooing Charlie away. "Out, out, out, Mr. Weasley! Miss Spinnet needs her rest!"

Mae sighed as he waved and walked out the door. When he was gone, she flopped back onto her pillows and let out an aggravated breath as she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts consumed with the redhead that had been seated beside her moments before.

* * *

**I thought the surveys were a nice way to sum up the year without having to go into detail, what about you?**

**And Question: Would you like to see more of Justine and Travis and their friends (AKA, the first year Hufflepuffs)?**

**And what do you think of the characters so far, especially the OCs?**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_When you get caught looking at him, just remember - he was looking back._


	7. Happy Birthday, Charlie!

**SO SORRY! I know it's been a long time, but I had a church retreat this weekend ****so I didn't have my computer. But anyway, here's the next update! I hope you enjoy!**

**THANKS YOU: **_**Vampire Lover26, SecretlyAGryffindor, xExpectoxPatronumx, -the smell of autumn-, UndercoverHufflepuff, ashl3yj0nas43v3r, Albuslover8101, missivypotter,**_** and **_**pinkpearl89**_** for all of the great reviews! Love you all to bits!**

**Disclaimer: ****Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me. ****The G for George didn't come from me; I altered an idea from somewhere else.**

_Look at this photograph, every time I do it makes me laugh._

**Chapter Six: Happy Birthday, Charlie!**

"Madam Pomfrey, _please_," Mae begged. "I feel _fine!_ I'm going to miss the train."

The blonde was sitting on the hospital wing bed in her too-big pajamas, pushing away the goblet of smoking Pepperup Potion the Healer was trying to make her drink.

"Oh, all right!" huffed the nurse, throwing a hand in the air and bustling away in frustration. "Go on, then! But if you get sick, don't you complain!"

Mae winced slightly, but jumped up and ran to the tall door at the end of the ward, yanking it open and rushing through. In her haste, she collided with someone who was standing just outside.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head, which had hit the floor as she fell backwards.

Her best friend chuckled, extending a hand and pulling her up. "In a bit of a hurry?"

"Oh, Charlie," said Mae, fighting the butterflies in her stomach. "It's just you."

"Not good enough for you, am I?" he joked.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. But I can't talk, I have to go –"

"Pack?" Charlie cut-in. "Relax, Fi, I've got your trunk."

"Did you get my –"

"Slippers? Yep."

"And my –"

"Journal? Of course."

"What about my –"

"Favorite sweater? Wouldn't dream of leaving it behind."

Mae's worried face broke into a grin. "What would I do without you?"

"Curl up in a ball and die of stress," he answered with a shrug.

Mae laughed as she took the handle of her trunk. "You're probably right. You're like my mellow."

"That's an interesting way to put it," Charlie chuckled as the two of them began to make their way towards the staircase. "Oh, that reminds me…" He took Mae's traveling bag off of his shoulder and rummaged through it for a moment, before pulling out a jar of peanut butter. "I figured this would make you feel better than Pepperup Potion ever could."

She smiled widely and took it from him, thanking him and grabbing a plastic spoon from the bag. "You know me too well."

Charlie winked at her and Mae felt her knees begin to buckle; luckily, she was able to hold herself steady as she mentally scolded herself.

"Hey, come on, Fi," he said. "The train leaves in about two minutes."

"So I don't get time to change?"

His deep blue eyes raked over her frame for the briefest second, and Mae felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "What's wrong with what you're wearing?"

"They're pajamas," she told him, rolling her eyes. "And they're way too big!"

"I think Madam Pomfrey gave you an anxiety-inducing potion by mistake," said Charlie, clearly trying to hold back a laugh.

"Oh, shut up," she mumbled.

Charlie took two long strides and he was standing in front of her, his large, calloused hands placed gently on her thin shoulders – sending an electric current through her body.

"Fiona Mae Spinnet," murmured Charlie, and Mae gulped. "You look beau-_fine_. All right? You could wear a potato sack and still have half the guys in the school following you around like little lost dogs.

Mae's blushed deepened, but she smiled up at him, and Charlie's stern expression broke into a grin.

* * *

Can you believe Snape gave us that essay over the holidays?" groaned Lee, flopping down on the bench next to Alicia, as Fred and George built a castle from a deck of Exploding Snap cards on the floor of their compartment.

"Yes," answered Angelina, sitting across from them and flipping through the latest edition of _Which Broomstick_.

"I'm honestly a bit surprised that it's only one essay," Alicia told him with a shrug. "Not that that makes six feet on the properties of moonstone seem any better."

"The git," growled George. "And he's not even going to read them."

"Bashing Snape?" came a musical voice from the doorway.

The Gryffindors looked up to see Justine Walters, her platinum blonde hair in a messy braid, standing outside the compartment with Travis Marigold and two other Hufflepuffs they recognized as Caxton Collier – slightly arrogant, but generally quite nice – and Rachel Hargis - a petite girl with dark red-brown hair and brown eyes that were glazed over to indicate her blindness.

"Care to join us?" asked Lee, patting the seat on his other side.

Justine sat down, pulling Rachel next to her, while Travis and Caxton climbed over the twins and onto the bench behind them.

"Did you know Snape doesn't give George and me actual grades?" exclaimed Fred, still caught up in his hatred of the Potions Master.

"What do you mean?" asked Rachel, her blank eyes staring blindly at the spot where Fred's voice had come from.

"Well, I get a 'G' for George and gruesome," explained George bitterly.

"And I get an 'F' for Fred and fiasco."

"Though we like to think of them –"

"As 'G' for George and genius," grinned Fred.

George's expression mirrored his brother's. "And 'F' for Fred and fabulous."

The entire compartment burst out laughing.

"At least you're able to make the best of it," commented Justine, a slightly crooked smile lighting up her face. "If I got a 'J' for junky, I think I might cry."

"Or it could mean 'just dandy,'" suggested Lee with a grin. "I could have an 'L' for loser, but I think I'd make it lovely."

"Or a 'T' for terrible and tremendous," added Travis.

"Maybe a C for crap and creative," said Caxton.

"An 'A' for atrocious," Alicia began.

Angelina finished, "And amazing."

"How about an 'R' for wretched and ridiculously good?" asked Rachel.

The others laughed lightly.

"Wretched is spelled with a 'W,'" Angelina reminded her.

"Oh yeah," said Rachel, looking thoughtful. "Then 'R' for…"

"Rambling?"

"Ruddy?"

"Rancid?"

Rachel giggled. "I like rancid. I think it reminds me of the dungeons –"

_BANG!_

The nine of them sat in shocked silence for a moment. The risk – and excitement – of using Exploding Snap cards to build a castle was the fact that it could blow up at any moment, and it done just that.

The twins recovered first.

"Oi, George –"

"Fred, your eyebrows –"

"Are gone!" they finished together, looking at each other as if they were staring into a mirror, prodding their foreheads gingerly.

Alicia burst out laughing. "You two look ridiculous! You know Mama Weasley is going to murder you!"

Lee, too, had recovered, and joined in on her laughter so violently that it had him rolling on the ground at their feet, clutching his sides.

The others quickly regained their composure as well, and began inspecting their faces for damage.

"Oh, bloody hell," George muttered to his brother. "Ally's right."

"Mum _is_ going to kill us," Fred agreed, smacking his forehead and wincing.

The two boys looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Ah well."

"Life sure is an adventure with you lot," Justine commented as she helped Rachel get a black smudge off her cheek, and dusted ash from her friend's red-brown hair.

Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, and Angelina grinned.

"You have no idea."

* * *

Charlie and Mae entered their compartment after finishing a brief prefect's meeting to find the carriage empty. There was a note telling them that Emily, Evan, Victoria, Roxanne, Silver, and Roman had left to find the food trolley, and that they should be back soon. The P.S. wished Charlie a very happy birthday and Mae gasped, slapping her head and groaning.

"I _cannot believe_ I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, jumping up onto the bench and digging through her traveling bag, which sat on the luggage rack.

"My birthday?" he asked, reaching out a hand to steady her as she wobbled, searching for his present. "You were in the hospital."

"For a cold," she reminded him, finding what she had been looking for and carefully hopping off the bench. She plopped down and he sat beside her, taking the shoebox she offered him.

Mae watched him nervously as he opened it, suddenly glad that they had the compartment to themselves. He pulled out the pictures first – there were a few from every year they had been friends. She had mounted them on colored paper and on the back of each, she had written one of the many reasons that he was her best friend.

"_Because you taught me how to swim_," Charlie read, a smile lighting up his face as he stared down at a picture of two seven-year-olds splashing each other in the pond behind the Burrow. "_Because __you made me overcome my fear of lady bugs_." This one from even older, the edges beginning to yellow, though the kids in the picture still ran around full of life, the redheaded boy chasing the little blonde with two bright red bugs in his small hands. "_Because you're a better teacher than even Kettleburn_." It was one of the newer ones, from just the year before when Charlie and Mae had snuck into the Forbidden Forest and found and befriended an old hippogriff. "_Because you always stand up for me_," Charlie read, now laughing as he looked down at his third year self lying in a bed in the hospital wing, bruises on both of his eyes from where he had fought with a Slytherin that had called Mae a Mudblood because of her mother. "_Because you know my full name_." They were in fifth year and Mae stood behind Charlie, holding her hands over his mouth as he playfully fought against her. "_But would never tell."_ The next one had been taken moments later, and Charlie was pretending to lock his mouth and throw away the key. "_Because you're never embarrassed by me. Because you know exactly where I'm ticklish. Because I can talk to you about anything. Because all of my favorite memories include you. Because you make fun of me when I deserve it. Because you tell me to relax at least once a day. And because I know we'll always be there for each other no matter what."_

Charlie smiled widely at her, put the pictures carefully back into the box, and pulled Mae into a tight hug. Pleasant shivers shot down her spine as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder, savoring the moment more than she knew she should have.

"Thank you," he murmured in her ear, giving her goose-bumps as his warm breath tickled her cheek.

"You're welcome," she told him, trying to keep her voice steady as she reluctantly pulled away. "There's something else."

Charlie reached back into the box and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book entitled _Dragons, Near and Far._

"Fi," he grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders briefly. "You really outdid yourself this year."

She smiled back and gave her best casual shrug, though she felt strangely cold as he took his arm away. "I tried."

"You succeeded," said Charlie, smiling down at her and looking through the photos again. "I think this is the best gift I've gotten."

"I wouldn't say that," Mae went on, feeling a little awkward as she thought of the great gifts some of his other friends were sure to have given him. "I mean, Evan always gets nice stuff, and Emily –"

She was silenced as his large, warm hand covered her mouth, and she almost smiled when she felt the familiar calluses there.

"You know none of that ever takes half the thought that you put into your gifts."

Mae rolled her eyes and licked his hand, feeling her stomach flip-flop as she did so, but it Charlie laughed and left it where it was.

"That hasn't worked since we were six," he told her, smirking and clearly amused.

Mae smiled to herself, grabbed his hand and pulled it away, wishing that she did not have to let it go.

* * *

The first years stepped down from the Hogwarts Express and onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, shivering and pulling their coats tight around their shoulders as a wintry draft swept through the station.

"Rachel!" came an excited voice from a little ways along the Platform. The redheaded girl turned toward the sound, smiling even though she could not see her mother – a tall woman with the same pale skin and dark red-brown hair – and her father – who was shorter and balding with Rachel's warm smile – hurrying toward her.

Rachel grinned and waved in the general direction of her friends before carefully making her way to her parents.

"Oh, I see my family, too," Travis told them, pointing to a younger couple, both of whom had their son's dark brown hair and pale skin. "You coming, Caxton?"

The blonde boy, taller than his friend, nodded, for he would be spending the first few days of the break with the Marigolds.

"See you later," he said to the others, giving them a slightly cocky grin and taking off after Travis.

"Hmmm," muttered Justine, standing on her toes in an effort to see over the many people on the crowded, smoky platform. "My parents are both Muggles," she told the Gryffindors. "I hope they were able to get through the barrier."

"Can they?" asked Alicia. "My mum didn't come to see me off, so I don't know."

"They were on September first, but that could have been because I was with them."

"Justine!"

They turned around and saw what could only have been the girls' family. Justine was the spitting image of her father. She had his platinum blonde hair and aquamarine eyes, though her build was the dainty one of her mother. There was a little girl with them who looked to be about five years old, wearing a tiny blue dress with short curls framing her petite features.

"Oh, good," the Hufflepuff girl sighed, clearly relieved. "I'll see you all after the break, happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas!" they told her, before the Gryffindors began the search for their own families.

"I'll be going too," said Angelina, waving to a tall man standing near the train.

"Bye, Angel," Fred grinned, winking at her.

Angelina looked like she would have very much liked to have slapped him, but with visible effort, held herself back and said goodbye to the others instead.

Alicia and George met each other's eyes and tried to keep from laughing at their friends.

"LeeLee!" came a soprano voice above the din of the Platform. They all turned once more to find one of Lee's older sisters, Leslie – a third year Hufflepuff – waving for him to join her.

"I hate it when she calls me that," he grumbled, half to himself, before making his way towards her and his other siblings.

Fred, George, and Alicia would have laughed at him, but they were suddenly crushed in Mrs. Weasley's vice-like grip.

"Let the kids breathe, Molly." Mr. Weasley's signature line could be heard from behind his wife.

"Freddie! Georgie!" Ginny cried, tackling the twins the moment their mother let them go.

"Oi," Fred grunted, patting her head lightly. "Hey, Gin."

"Sister!" Nathan shouted, seeming to appear from nowhere as he threw his arms around Alicia's middle.

"Brother!" she greeted him. "How have you been? I haven't heard from you in a while."

Nathan launched into a story about his latest pre-school adventures, and soon Alicia saw the flaming red hair of Percy as he broke away from his friends and joined the group.

"Oliver keeps trying to convince me to play Quidditch," he told his father as Mrs. Weasley embraced him. "As if I would ever want to waste my time on something so frivolous."

"Don't be such a sourpuss," ordered Fred, rolling his eyes at George.

"Yeah," his twin added. "Maybe you should play just to lighten up."

Percy looked as though he had a snide comment in mind, but was interrupted by the arrival of Charlie, Mae, Bill, and Mr. and Mrs. Spinnet.

"Alicia!" called her parents fondly, pulling her into a hug.

"How are you?" her mother asked. "What's been going on? What's school like? Tell me all about your friends, oh and your classes as well! I want to know everything!"

Mark Spinnet chuckled and laid a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Why don't we save the talking for the car ride back, dear?"

Melanie laughed with the musical tone that Mae possessed. "All right, all right. Fred, George!" she finished, rushing to greet the boys as well.

"- And then, Grant made the toilet explode!" Nathan completed the tale that he had been telling by thrusting his arms dramatically into the air and making the sound effects of such an incident.

"That's gross, Nate," Alicia told him with a laugh – louder than the other women of her family. "But Fred, and George and I have totally got to try that sometime!"

"Hey there, Squirt," greeted Charlie, ruffling Alicia's hair. "Have a good ride back?"

As if on cue, Mrs. Weasley seemed to notice that the twins no longer had eyebrows, for she burst into a rant on the spot about dangerous games.

Alicia grinned at the second eldest Weasley brother. "We figured that would happen, but it was totally worth it. You should have seen the looks on their faces!"

"I can only imagine," chuckled Charlie.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" exclaimed Alicia, hugging him tightly. "Happy birthday!"

He shook his red head, laughing quietly to himself. "What is it with you Spinnet women and forgetting this glorious day?"

"Hey," Mae laughed, punching his arm lighting in mock-defense as she joined them. "_Almost_ forgetting isn't actually forgetting."

He shrugged. "Fair enough."

And with that, he wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and led the way out of the station.

* * *

**Like it, love it, hate it, whatever – LEAVE A REVIEW!**

**I know this was sort of a filler, but the beginning chapters of a story are hard, I hope the next one is better!**

**Thanks everyone!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_I'm just ____wondering__ if you'll ever understand just how much of me belongs to __**you**__**.**_


	8. Childhood

**Here you have it, chapter seven! I do hope you enjoy it. (:**

**THANK YOU: **_**Albuslover8101, Vampire Lover26, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, -the smell of autumn-, xExpectoxPatronumx, SecretlyAGryffindor, UndercoverHufflepuff, iamagriffin, ashl3yj0nas43v3r, pinkpearl89, cullenchick-25x, LCH8292, **_**and**_** insanereality710**_** for the lovely reviews! You all are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me.**

_No one is too young for love, because love doesn't come from your mind, which knows your age, but from your heart, which knows no age._

**Chapter Seven: Childhood**

"Whoa," Charlie said in amazement as he entered the living room. "Are my little brothers – dare I say it? – doing homework?"

It was a few days since they had returned to the Burrow for Christmas holiday and Fred, George, and Alicia were grudgingly spending an afternoon indoors with Snape's exceedingly long essay.

"Bugger off," grumbled Fred, throwing the top of his ink bottle at his older brother, though Charlie caught it with ease.

"Mum's making us finish before we can go out and play Quidditch," George explained sulkily, flipping through his open textbook.

"We tried to sneak out," Alicia added in a bitter voice. "But she's put some sort of charm on the door to keep up inside. And I am never going to finish; Snape set us six feet on the properties of moonstone! I've written everything I could find and still only have four feet."

"Have you tried writing any bigger?" asked Mae, entering from the kitchen.

Alicia nodded and groaned, pushing her essay towards her sister, who laughed and plopped down on the floor beside her, grabbing a quill. "Come on, I'll help you."

"Would you really?" breathed Alicia, looking at Mae as though she was an angel.

"Of course," Mae told her with another musical laugh. "Fred, George, you too. How much have you got?"

"Three feet," said George, handing over his parchment.

"Two," added Fred, holding up his own paper.

Mae rolled her eyes. "You two are hopeless. Give them here."

"Hey, Fi," Charlie began, taking a seat between the twins. "Didn't Snape give us something to do as well?"

Mae nodded. "We have to write twelve feet – one for each use of dragon's blood."

"_Twelve feet_?" Charlie repeated, one of his clear blue eyes twitching.

"It's Snape, what do you expect?" Mae asked, raising an eyebrow as she scribbled a few more sentences into Alicia's essay. "Besides, you have nothing to worry about. You know more than enough about dragons to fill twelve feet."

"You know I'm rubbish at writing, though," he told her, rubbing a hand over his face. "You'll help me too, right?"

Mae gave a tinkling laugh. "Actually, I was hoping you would give me a hand. I wouldn't even need a textbook."

Charlie thought for a moment. "I'll give you the facts and then you can make it sound like a paper."

"Deal," Mae grinned.

"Hello?" Fred asked, waving his arms around to regain her attention. "I thought we were helping _me_ right now."

Mae giggled. "All right, all right, calm _down_. Good grief, Fred," she added when she saw his essay. "Your writing is _enormous_."

* * *

The days of Christmas break passed by in a lazy manner. The Spinnets were spending the holiday at the Burrow, so Fred, George, and Alicia were able to play Quidditch with Bill, Charlie, and Ron. Mae was not a good flyer, and Ginny and Nathan were too young to play, so the three of them often bundled up in hand-knitted sweaters, scarves, and hats and trooped into the paddock behind the overgrown orchard to watch the others. Percy rarely joined them, preferring to read or study rather than join in on the "frivolous waste of time" that was Quidditch.

Other days, if the snow was falling too fast or the wind blowing too hard, they would curl up in front of the fire with some of Melanie Spinnet's famous hot chocolate and listen to the radio or play games.

"You know," said Fred on one such afternoon. He, George, and Alicia were sitting in the living room watching Charlie and Mae through the kitchen doorway as the seventh years tried to make a complicated dessert from one of Mrs. Weasley's recipe books.

"Hmm?" George and Alicia prompted, not taking their eyes off the chessboard in front of them.

"I was just think, Alicia, if Charlie and Mae ever got married, we would actually be related."

"Wait," said Alicia, tearing her eyes away from the game as George's knight crushed her pawn. "Fred, _Fred Weasley,_ thinking about marriage?"

"Oh, shut up," Fred muttered, throwing a pillow in her general direction as he continued to stare at Charlie and Mae.

"Oi!"

"Sorry, George," he added, wincing at it hit his brother. "But seriously. Our families spend so much time together, wouldn't it be cool if we were actually one big family?"

"Yeah," said George, directing his pieces skillfully across the board. "Too bad Charlie's too busy chasing dragons to chase girls."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Alicia told him. "Did you see the way Mae was looking at him at dinner last night? I bet she likes him."

"I must have missed it," said Fred, beginning to count the ceiling tiles.

"Oh, that's right. You two were so busy shoveling food down your throats that you couldn't possibly have noticed anything else."

"Hey," George argued. "You eat just as much as we do, Ally."

"Yes, but I can multi-task," Alicia grinned at him across the table as her queen took his knight.

"That's only because you're a girl," stated Fred.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "If I remember correctly, that's not what you told Lee that first day on the train."

"Well, he was trying to flirt with you," Fred explained. "He was just wasting his time."

"What? Are you saying I can't flirt?"

George smirked. "Do you want to flirt?"

"No!" Alicia said quickly, hiding the blush that was forming with a disgusted grimace. "Of course not."

"Mmhmm," teased the twins.

Alicia let out an aggravated breath. "You two are so –"

_BANG!

* * *

_

Charlie and Mae stood staring at each other in surprise. Both were covered in the goopy paste that they had been mixing moments before.

"Maybe," said Charlie, wiping his eyes. "The Muggles are onto something. Had we done this their way, it wouldn't have exploded."

Mae started to laugh, but gagged as some of the dessert entered her mouth. "Ew, this is terrible," she choked out.

Charlie stuck a goo-covered finger into his mouth and sucked on it thoughtfully for a moment before pulling a face. "What d'you say," he began with a grimace. "We run down to the Muggle village just south of here and get some pre-made cookie dough?"

"Best idea I've heard all day," Mae said with a grin.

The two of them quickly vanished the mess and pulled on hats, coats, and scarves and rushed out the back door before Mrs. Weasley could stop them. Snow was falling on the beaten path that led from the Burrow to Ottery St. Catchpole – a small Muggle village with a variety of quaint shops and apartments – which lay about a mile away.

"You know, Charlie," Mae said, holding out a hand to catch the snowflakes. "We could have just Apparated."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "You know that isn't exactly my strong suit. Besides, where's the fun in that?"

"True," Mae agreed, closing her honey brown eyes and grinning dreamily as she spun in the snow. "I just love winter."

"You love _all_ of the seasons," Charlie chuckled, pausing to watch her.

"Mmm," agreed Mae. "But winter's my favorite."

"And when it's spring, spring will be your favorite," he reminded her.

"Is there something wrong with that?" asked Mae, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing at all, my dear," Charlie told her with a grin as he linked an arm through her own and began leading her towards the village.

"So," Mae began in what she hoped was an off-handed voice. "You know the seventh year ball that the prefects plan every year?"

"Yeah," Charlie began uneasily, and Mae knew he was not really one for dances.

"Any idea who you're taking?"

"I haven't really thought about it yet," he told her with a shrug. "No matter what I do, I'll be breaking some hearts."

Mae laughed musically. "You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you?"

Charlie winked. "I have good reason to," he said, flexing his free arm and giving her a dazzling smile.

Mae raised her eyebrows in amusement, silently agreeing with him. "So, in your mind, there is not a single girl in school that isn't just _dying _to be asked by you?"

"None come to mind."

"Oh really?" asked Mae, feeling brave. "You must be pretty thick then, what about the girl standing right in front of you?"

It was Charlie's turn to look amused. "Are you saying that if I asked you to this dance right now, you would turn me down?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Mae with a defiant grin.

Charlie ran a finger down her nose and waggled his eyebrows in mock-seduction. "Stop lying to yourself, sweetheart."

"Then ask me," Mae challenged, her heartbeat speeding up as he pulled her closer.

Charlie pretended to think about, seemingly unaware of their nearness. "Ah, no."

"Because you know I'll refuse you," said Mae triumphantly, moving to block his path.

Charlie lowered his face so that it was mere inches from her own, and Mae's breath caught in her throat. "Or maybe it's because I know you'll say yes and I don't want to go with you."

Mae felt goosebumps coming on as his warm breath tickled her cheek and tousled her curls. "And why on earth would you not want to go with me?" she teased, fighting to keep her composure.

"Well," Charlie breathed. "I do enjoy living, you see. And if I were to take you, I can think of a good number of guys that would make sure I didn't survive the night."

Mae had to laugh, breaking the moment as they both pulled away, though she was pleased when Charlie slung his arm casually around her shoulders.

"I don't know why you laugh," he said as her arm found its way around his waist. "It's true."

"Oh please, Charlie," said Mae, rolling her eyes. "There are dozens of gorgeous girls at Hogwarts; I don't think any guy would be too offended."

"Maybe so, but –" he broke off, his ears turning slightly pink.

"What?" asked Mae curiously, looking up at him.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Just know that you could have any guy in the school."

Mae studied his face for a moment, taking in the handsome features covered in a light sprinkling of freckles, and felt his strong arm around her shoulders. She sighed sadly. "Oh, if only that were true."

* * *

Once in the village, Charlie and Mae made their way to their favorite little market. They had known the elderly woman who owned the place since they were little, and she loved giving them free food whenever they came to visit. But best of all, her homemade cookie dough was to die for.

"Aggie?" Mae called when they entered, the familiar chimes ringing as Charlie shut the door behind them. "Aggie, are you here?"

"Mae, is that you?" asked a voice in the back room.

"Yes, Charlie and I came to visit," Mae answered.

A squat woman with shockingly white hair and warm brown eyes bustled into the room, whipping her hands on her overly-stained apron and placing her thick round spectacles on her button-like nose. She pulled the two of them into a Molly-esque hug and then looked them up and down.

"I haven't seen you since the summer, my Charlie, do you ever stop growing?" she gushed, poking and prodding at the muscles he had been building with the Quidditch season.

He chuckled, lifting her off the ground and spinning in a circle. "Let's hope not."

"And, Mae!" Aggie continued, walking around the girl for the full effect. "You just get prettier every time I see you, my, I wish I had that hair when I was your age."

Mae blushed and ran a hand through her messy golden locks, which still contained remainders of their earlier dessert catastrophe, knowing that, as always, Aggie saw the beauty that was more than skin deep. "Thanks, Aggie. You look lovely yourself."

"No need to flatter, dear," said Aggie with her warm, kind smile. "Frankly, I'm lucky to still be up and moving."

"Don't say that, Aggie," Charlie scolded playfully, taking a seat at the bar with Mae by his side. "You'll probably outlive us both."

"It's true," added Mae, watching the other woman cut ample slices of her famous cherry pie for them both. "Especially if we continue to live off of your wonderful – though fattening – cooking."

"You don't get enough of it if you ask me," Aggie commented as she handed them each a fork and poured large glasses of milk. "You in particular, Mae, you're thin as a rod! Do they not feed you at that boarding school of yours?"

Mae glanced at Charlie and their faces broke into similar grins, both imagining the welcoming feast that was sure to take place at the beginning of the spring term.

"They keep us alive," Charlie joked, winking at Mae while Aggie's back was turned.

The two friends stayed and talked to Aggie for about another hour, simply catching up on life – at least what they could tell a Muggle – and playing a favorite game from when they were little. They would watch customers browse the shop, and as they did so, Charlie and Mae would create imaginary personalities for them based on what they bought. When the customer would approach the register, one or the other would engage them in conversation and try to see just how close they were.

It was a fun afternoon for all three of them, and when Charlie and Mae had to leave, they did so grudgingly, but not without too much of Aggie's homemade cookie dough for them to carry.

* * *

"Check it out," George said with a grin, leaning over an old piece of parchment.

He, Fred, and Alicia were sitting under a blanket fort they had made in the twins' room one lazy afternoon.

"What?"

"You can still see everyone at Hogwarts, even though we aren't there."

And sure enough, as the three of them watched, Kim, Patricia, and Kenneth sat around the fireplace in the common room, and it looked as though they were playing some sort of game.

"I miss them," Alicia mused, watching Marissa Plumb and Thomas Aster – two first year Ravenclaws – sitting in their Common Room, probably studying for the upcoming term. "All of them."

George nodded. "It seems so quiet without them, especially without Lee's constant music."

They all laughed lightly at the thought of their friend.

"And without Angelina yelling at me," added Fred.

"And Kim's voice of reason."

"And Patricia's never-ending worrying."

"I even miss Kenneth's quietness," finished Alicia, her eyes straying back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"And here I always thought we'd be fine just the three of us," said Fred with a grin.

"We are," George told him. "But it's nice to have the others around."

"Come on," encouraged Alicia, standing up and stretching. "Let's go down to the old swingset."

"Why?" asked Fred. "We haven't been there in years."

"I know," Alicia told him, pulling George to his feet. "Which is exactly why we should. It'll be fun."

"Whatever you say, Ally," George laughed as he and Fred followed the brunette as she grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

They reached the rusty, snow-covered playground just as the sun began its decent in the late afternoon sky. A cool breeze blew through the winter-dead apple orchard, bringing with it a slew of brown, crisp leaves and snow that danced around their feet as they climbed into the creaky swings.

"Need a push, Ally?" asked George, coming up behind her.

Alicia laughed lightly, grinning at her best friend who knew her so well. "Don't I always? I don't think I'll ever learn to do this properly."

Fred chuckled, already high in the air, as George pulled her back and let her go in the same way he had always done when they were little.

"Who'd have thought that our talented little Jack-Jack," he grinned, using his favorite nickname for her. "Would ever be unable to do something as simple as swinging."

"Oh bugger off, Freddy," she teased, knowing full well that he hated that name.

"Come on, 'Licia, at least Jack-Jack isn't demeaning. Freddy makes me sound like a five-year-old."

Alicia rolled her stormy grey eyes. "Well, you're only eleven. Besides, I've called George Georgie before and he doesn't mind."

"He probably didn't even notice."

"Oi," George complained, hopping into the last swing and taking off. "I'm not _that_ thick. I just figure that as long as I can call her Ally, she can call me whatever she likes."

Alicia and Fred looked at each other and grinned, remembering the reason for the nickname in the first place.

"Well," Alicia told him, still smiling. "Ally is better than Alithhhh any day."

George scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at her, causing her to shriek and jump out of the swing, quickly molding a snowball and casting it at his head, where it stuck, melting in his flaming red hair. An evil grin crossed his freckled face as he took to the air, flying headfirst out of the swing and tackling her to the ground. Alicia screamed in surprise, rolling him over so that she was pinning him to the ground and thrust a handful of freezing snow down the front of his sweater. He hissed at the cold and Fred tutted, striding over to help his twin. With a great deal of effort, he pulled the brunette away by tickling her sides fiercely, which caused her to laugh so hard tears fell from her eyes and loosen her grip on his twin.

"No fair," she whined, struggling to break free of his hold. "Two against one!"

"And you're a girl," Fred grinned. "That gives George and me the natural advantage."

"Excuse me," retorted Alicia, jerking away from him and forming another snowball. "I believe I was the one who had George pinned to the ground. Girls can be just as tough as boys."

"I was going easy on you," George reasoned, ruffling her hair and jumping away before she could assault him with snow. "Besides, I tackled you first, so the points go to me."

"You know I could take one of you in a fight any time, don't you?" asked Alicia, crossed her arms and cocking an eyebrow.

Fred smirked. "But that's the beauty of it, Jack-Jack. There are always going to be two of us."

* * *

**What did you think? Right now I'm sort of just building the foundations of their friendships (and, in Charlie and Mae's case, their relationship).**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love you all to bits!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_I walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races.__ And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't._


	9. Brave Faces

**I AM SO SORRY! I know it's been absolutely **_**forever**_** since I last updated, but tennis season started and life has just been so crazy around here. And I just got back from a mission trip to Atlanta, but I'm on Spring Break for the next week, so I will have TONS of time to read and write. (:**

**THANK YOU: **_**Vampire Lover26, Albuslover8101, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, xExpectoxPatronumx, -the smell of autumn-, SecretlyAGryffindor, pinkpearl89, smrtguy85, **_**and**_** kyo's-kitten256**_** for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me.**

_Sam and Patrick looked at me. And I looked at them. And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend._

**Chapter Eight: Brave Faces**

A few weeks after the students returned to Hogwarts for the spring semester, Alicia found herself sitting between Lee and George in the History of Magic classroom, listening to Professor Binns' monotonous voice as he droned on about the first goblin rebellion. It was her turn to take notes for the five of them, so she drummed her fingers on her knee and fought to stay awake to scribble down as many names and dates as she could manage. Lee's idea had been brilliant – Alicia, Fred, George, Angelina, and Lee only had to pay attention and take notes every fifth class – but it was always dreadful when her turn rolled around.

The subject itself fascinated Alicia. After all, everything that had happened in the past brought them to where they were in the present. Unfortunately, Binns made it seem far duller that it truly was.

"How are you doing?" asked George, the only one of her friends that was even trying to keep his eyes open, other than Kim and Kenneth, both of whom had their heads bent low over their parchment, quills scratching furiously a few tables away.

Alicia yawned widely, jotting down _Gnashall – leader of the first goblin division, 379 BC_. "I suppose it could be worse," she told him. "At least Gnashall the Red is interesting. Last time I had to listen to Binns talk about Fennick the Bleak, and let me tell you, it did not make for an entertaining lesson."

George laughed lightly, though Binns did not seem to hear him, for the ghost never paused his lecture.

"I know how you feel. One time, my topic was Urrick the Ugly," George gave a low whistle, shaking his head. "And boy was he ever."

Alicia snorted, causing Lee to twitch in his sleep and then begin humming dreamily. Glancing around, she lowered her voice, bringing her lips near George's ear. "So when are we going to take the map out again? I've been dying to go exploring recently."

"Fred and I were thinking about tomorrow night, after the Quidditch match. Everyone will be distracted whether we win or lose, so it will be perfect timing," George whispered back.

"Good idea," said Alicia, nodding in approval. "Where are we going?"

A mischievous grin lit up the redhead's face. "We think we found some sort of secret passageway on the map."

Alicia sat up a little straighter, far more interested in her best friend than in their ghostly professor. "Where does it lead?"

"Right into the Forbidden Forest," George explained, his smirk growing wider.

Alicia's heart skipped a beat and she set her quill down, notes forgotten entirely. "Isn't that supposed to be dangerous?"

George shrugged. "Charlie told me that he and Mae go in there all the time for camping trips and he said sometimes they sneak in to feed the thestrals. They've never gotten hurt."

Alicia smiled widely and began to daydream about the many secrets that were waiting for them just beyond the edge of the trees.

* * *

The next day, the Gryffindor students bundled up in all the red and gold that they could find and headed down to breakfast before the upcoming match.

"How do you think you're going to do?" Mae asked Charlie, sliding onto the bench beside him and looking up at the enchanted ceiling, which showed nothing but blinding sleet and rain. "Given the weather, I mean?"

Charlie glanced upward as well as he loaded food onto Oliver Wood's plate. "We've practiced in this kind of weather," he answered with a heart-melting smile, not that Mae would ever let him know that. "We'll be fine, especially since we're playing Ravenclaw. This isn't really something you can think up a strategy against, like they're probably trying to do, you just have to fight through it."

"Good," Mae told him, smiling back as she pulled her ever-handy jar of peanut butter from her bag and spread some on her toast.

Just then, Tia Marcel, another seventh year Gryffindor, rushed up to Charlie. Her long brown hair was perfectly straight today, and her light blue eyes were outlined in a dark charcoal. She was one of those girls that Mae thought always looked perfect, and she couldn't help but envy her occasionally, despite what others might have said about her own appearance.

"Charlie, look at this!" exclaimed Tia, holding up a large sign she must have made. The words _Good Luck, Captain_ _Charlie!_ flashed in numerous bright colors and Mae felt a little bad that she had not done anything of the sort. She glanced across the table at Victoria and Emily, but her two friends just rolled their eyes, clearly thinking that Tia, who would only date the most popular boy she could find, was only warming up to Charlie now that Gryffindor was in first place in the running for the Quidditch Cup.

Charlie looked slightly taken aback, though flattered, by the sudden attention from one of the most popular girls in their year. "Thanks, Tia. Are you coming to the match?"

"Of course," Tia gushed. "I found a Keep-Dry charm so I don't have to worry about anything."

Charlie gave Tia that smile he had given to Mae moments before and the blonde could not help but feel a bit nauseous. It wasn't like Charlie or his smiles belonged to her or anything, but she had always liked to think that even though he did not see her as more than a friend, there was still something special between the two of them. Then again, maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Tia flipped her hair over her shoulder, sending a waft of expensive perfume over them, and to Mae's amusement, Emily openly went into a coughing fit at the strong scent.

"Good grief," she sputtered, putting a hand to her chest. "How much of that did you put on this morning?"

Mae and Victoria pressed their lips together firmly to keep from laughing. It was hard not to love Emily.

Well, hard for anyone other than Tia, whose eyes took in Emily's large gold and red flat-billed hat and her bright crimson jeans with a disapproving look. "Just enough," the brunette said sweetly, flipping her hair once more and giving Charlie a kiss on the cheek, which nearly made Mae's blood boil, though she simply clenched her fists beneath the table and tried to take deep, calming breaths. "Good luck today, Charlie," Tia purred. "I know you're going to do fantastic."

Then she walked down the table, hips swinging in a perfect runway manner, and joined her best friend, Ann Riench, and a few of the sixth year girls that worshiped the ground that they walked on.

Mae, Emily, and Victoria exchanged annoyed looks, but Evan held up his hand and gave Charlie a high-five.

"Way to go, mate," he congratulated, grinning as the tips of Charlie's ears turned red. "The hottest girl in the school was just hitting on _you!"_

Mae noticed a slightly hurt look cross Victoria's face as she ran a hand through her messy yellow-blonde hair and tugged at her baggy Quidditch robes. She felt Victoria's pain, for while Mae knew that many people thought her to be pretty, she still had nothing on Tia. But at least Tia was not pining after Evan, so there was still hope for Victoria. Charlie, on the other hand, Mae was not so sure about. After all, he was just a boy, and boys tended to fall for pretty girls, without thinking of who was right in front of them.

But, Mae put on a brave face and leaned over to Charlie. "Well," she said jokingly, playing off her inner pain. "I guess we know who you'll be taking to that seventh year dance after all."

Charlie grinned back, oblivious to the fact that it almost tore her heart in two. "I guess you'll just have to wait until next time."

Mae forced a laugh, and was proud to say that it sounded rather convincing, though Victoria shot her a strange look. "I already told you I'd turn you down."

"But, Fi," he whispered the name so no one else would hear. "How could you possibly resist?"

Mae bit her lip. What an excellent question that was.

* * *

Alicia huddled between Angelina and George, waiting for the game to begin. The weather was absolutely freezing and there were not nearly as many people in the stands as there usually were, but the way they saw it, if they wanted to make the team one day they should put up with whatever the team put up with now.

"I bet Charlie catches the Snitch within the first hour," announced Fred boldly.

Angelina shook her head, popping her knuckles. "There's no way he'll be able to see it in this weather. I'm betting that we win because we have the best Chasers in the school."

"So let me get this straight," said Fred, looking at her incredulously. "You think that we'll win, but Ravenclaw will get the Snitch?"

Angelina nodded defiantly.

"_Why?"_

Well," she began, her voice daring anyone to contradict her. "Ravenclaw is bloody brilliant. They'll have a strategy that will probably allow their Seeker to see because I bet they are thinking that the Seeker's job is going to be the most important on a day like this, but they're wrong. The Quaffle is harder to handle in the rain, but a heck of a lot easier to play with than the Snitch. So as long as we focus on our Chasers first, rather than the Seeker – which I'm willing to bet is what Charlie did – the game is in the bag whether we catch the Snitch or not."

Fred shook his head, throwing water on everyone near him. Not that that mattered, as it was still pouring down rain. "Oh, it is on, Johnson."

"You bet it is, Weasley."

Alicia had to laugh at her friends' constant bickering. While she sometimes found it annoying, it could also be a good distraction to keep her from worrying whether or not her toes were going to turn blue and fall off any time soon.

Luckily, the game began moments later, and it looked as though Angelina had been right. The Ravenclaw Chasers could hardly hang onto the Quaffle, while their Seeker seemed as alert as ever. But no matter what happened, she knew one of her friends was going to be sulking for the next few days, with or without the adventure they had planned for that evening.

The match ended in chaos as Victoria scored a final goal at the very instant the Ravenclaw Seeker caught the snitch, making the score 170 – 160 to Gryffindor. Mae, Emily, Roxanne, Silver, and Roman (who had switched their Slytherin green for red and gold) stood in their seats, screaming and cheering on their friends. As the stands began to clear, they hurried out onto the pitch, slipping through the muddy grass to reach them.

"Victoria!" Mae exclaimed, reaching the thin blonde first. Victoria's usually tousled hair was limp with dirt and rain, but Mae threw her arms around her and pulled the shorter girl into a hug. "That last goal was absolutely amazing!"

The Chaser blushed, wiping mud from her face. "Thanks, Mae," she said with a smile.

Mae turned to Evan next, who was much more eager to accept her praise. He pulled her into a wet hug and placed a slobbery kiss on her cheek.

"Evan!" Mae laughed, pushing him playfully away and hurrying to congratulate him as he was surrounded by a throng of admirers.

She then began to pick her way through the crowd to Charlie, but stopped in her tracks as she saw him staring at something just over her shoulder. Mae spun around, her wet blonde curls clinging to her cheeks, just as a girl with straight brown hair – that was still miraculously dry – streaked past her.

A soft gasp escaped Mae's lips as the brunette flung herself at Charlie and locked her lips over his own, causing them both to fall backwards onto the soaking ground.

Now, Mae had never felt her heart break, but she imagined that it must be something like what she felt in that moment – constriction in the throat, weakness in her knees, and above all, crushing in her chest. Her stomach dropped so violently that she thought she might vomit, but instead, she simply stood there staring stupidly at them until Roxanne and Victoria each put a hand on her shoulder and steered her away from the scene and back toward the castle.

* * *

Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, and Angelina joined the joyous throng of Gryffindor students as they made their way up to the Common Room for the usual victory celebration. Filch would surely be outraged that they were dragging mud and water through the corridors, but after such a spectacular match, no one really cared.

The first years clambered through the portrait hole and rushed to find Kim, Kenneth, and Patricia (who had elected to stay indoors to avoid the storm), and discovered them sitting in armchairs by the fire. The three of them looked warm and dry, but that changed almost immediately as the others pulled them into a cold, wet, exhilarated group hug.

"You should hurry up and change clothes," fretted Patricia, helping Alicia out of her soaking coat. "You'll get sick."

Fred just chuckled and shook his head, sending water droplets everywhere. He ran a hand through his still-dripping hair and jumped into a blow-by-blow retelling of the match that had just taken place.

"So when are we trying this new passageway?" asked Alicia as she and George made their way up the staircase that led to the dormitories to change out of their clothes. Fred, Lee, and Angelina had remained in the Common Room to continue the recap of the game.

"We'll slip out once the party dies down," he explained. "Everyone will just think we've gone to bed."

"What about Ange, Kim, Patricia, and Kenneth?" Alicia continued, looking down at their other friends. "Since just the four of us are going, the others will notice something is up."

George thought for a moment, after all, it had been his idea to keep the secret of the map between himself, Fred, Alicia, and Lee. "Just close your curtains, they'll think you're asleep."

Alicia nodded and they parted ways. Once in her own dormitory, she stripped out of her dripping clothing and pulled on a crimson t-shirt emblazoned with a gold lion to show more house spirit. Then she stepped into her favorite jeans and pulled her damp curls into a ponytail before tying on her sneakers and heading back downstairs.

George was already back in the Common Room where he and Fred stood amidst a group of third years who were howling with laughter, while Percy – red in the face with embarrassment – yelled at the twins.

Alicia laughed lightly, wondering which of countless stories the Fred and George had told about their older brother.

"Something about him trying to take up knitting," Lee explained, appearing at her shoulder and handing her a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Quite a story," Angelina said with a grin, watching as the older Weasley chased his younger brothers around the room.

At that moment, the portrait hole swung open and a great cheer erupted from the Gryffindors as their team entered triumphantly.

* * *

Roxanne led the way up many moving staircases until Mae imagined they were as lost in the castle as seventh years could be. The three of them entered an empty classroom and the Slytherin girl turned to face Mae while Victoria shut the door.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked immediately, flipping her long brown braid over her shoulder.

Mae silently cursed Roxanne and Victoria for being so perceptive, and then cursed herself for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

"I don't know, Roxy," she answered honestly, sliding down the wall and bringing her knees up to her chest. "I'm not entirely sure what I'm even feeling right now."

Victoria pulled out her wand and dried them off without a word, looking as though Roxanne was the one who should do the talking, so Mae faced the brunette.

A pained look flashed across Roxanne's face briefly before she spoke. "Believe me, I understand. Just… just don't make the same mistake I did."

Mae looked up at her curiously. "Which was what?"

"Well," began Roxanne, as she and Victoria took a seat on either side of Mae. "Silver's family threw a Midsummer's Eve ball over the summer last year and I went because I know Silver hates them and I thought he might want some company," she paused for a moment, blushing. "Okay, honestly, I went because I was totally falling head over heels for him," she corrected with a wistful smile. "Anyway, his mother knew I was going to be there – she really hates me – and I guess she was worried that Silver might end up feeling something for me so she invited Evelyn to be his date."

"Evelyn Grey?" Mae confirmed, thinking of Silver's current stuck-up, self-absorbed, tramp of a girlfriend. "I've been wondering why on earth he was with her."

Roxanne rolled her sparkling green eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "His mother is brainwashing him. He says that Evelyn is different when they're together," she shuttered slightly. "But I don't even want to _think_ about that. So anyway, that night, he was dancing with her and he did seem to be happy – he was laughing and smiling and everything – and later he told me that he might have been wrong to judge her right off the bat; he said that she wasn't nearly as bad as her reputation made her out to be. But I think that she was probably just turning up the charm, we all know she's fantastic at making boys fall for her. Silver told me that he was thinking about asking her out and he asked me for my opinion," Roxanne paused for a moment, playing with her sleeve. "I should have thrown a fit, Mae," she continued, her voice harsh. "I should have screamed and cried and told him that he deserved so much better. I should have told him what I felt, given him that option, but instead I just nodded and smiled and told him that I hoped they would be happy together, and now look at me!"

"What do you think would have happened if you had told him the truth?" Victoria asked tentatively.

Roxanne did not even have to think about her reply. "We would either be dating or not speaking at all, but either would be better that having to go through every day pretending that I think the two of them are a match made in Heaven," she told her firmly.

Mae took a deep breath and shook her head, feeling the eyes of the other girls upon her. "Charlie's my best friend, he always has been, I don't know if I could risk losing him."

"You're the Gryffindor, Mae," said Roxanne with a wry smile. "You can be braver than I was."

"In any other situation, maybe," Mae told her uncertainly. "But when it comes to Charlie, I'm a coward."

"Amazing what guys can do," said Victoria, giving a humorless laugh.

Suddenly, the three girls heard a sniff from across the room and looked up to see a portrait of some long-forgotten princess dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Young love," she said thickly. "The most beautiful and terrible things there ever was."

Roxanne snorted. "You can say that again."

"We'd best get up to the Common Room," Mae told them, wiping a single tear from her eye as she stood and put on the bravest face she could muster. "They'll notice that their star Chaser is missing pretty soon."

Mae and Roxanne looked to Victoria only to find her lost in thought, her yellow blonde hair falling haphazardly into her big, blue-green eyes.

"What is it, Vic?" Mae asked softly.

"I think," she began slowly, looking from one girl to the other. "The the three of us should make a deal."

"What do you mean?"

"By the end of the year, each of should tell Charlie, Silver, and Evan what we feel."

Mae and Roxanne stared at her for a moment.

"You are the last person on earth that I would expect to say that," Roxanne told her with a laugh. Victoria opened her mouth to protest, only to have the brunette cut her off. "But I'm in."

"So am I," Mae answered, though she sounded unsure. "It looks like we're all going to need as much Gryffindor courage as we can find."

"You think you have enough to head back up to the Common Room?" Victoria asked. "Or would you like to stay for a while longer?"

Mae squared her shoulders, determination in her honey brown eyes. "The first step is the hardest, right?" she stated as the other two girls climbed to their feet as well. "Let's go."

They wound their way through many corridors until they came out in front of the Fat Lady, who was already quite drunk and gossiping loudly with her friend, Violet.

"Buttermilk!" Victoria yelled over the portraits, and the Fat Lady swung open to allow the three girls to climb inside, not even noticing that Roxanne was not a Gryffindor.

And soon as Mae emerged in the Common Room, Percy Weasley sprinted up to her, his horn-rimmed glasses slightly askew.

"Mae!" he gasped, clutching a stitch in his side. "I've been looking everywhere for you! My brother seems to have lost his mind! He's, he's _snogging_ some girl right in the middle of the room!"

Mae felt an icy splinter lodge in her heart as she followed his outstretched finger to see Charlie and Tia thoroughly wrapped around each other in one of the overstuffed armchairs near the fire. Their faces were flushed and they seemed to be in another world entirely. Mae wanted to throw up, but she was not a Gryffindor for nothing. She kept her brave face firmly in place and wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders, ruffling his hair as she said, "Relax, Perce. He's just won another match as captain. Let him have his fun."

Roxanne shot her a sympathetic look – Victoria was already surrounded by fervent admirers – but Mae just flashed a smile and wove her way through the crowd to find herself a butterbeer.

* * *

Alicia glanced over George's shoulder and pulled a face when she saw Charlie and a girl she didn't know practically trying to suck each other's faces off in an armchair.

"Well," she began, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "At least we know he's not too busy chasing dragons to chase girls anymore."

George turned around and, to Alicia's amusement, turned a pale shade of green. "I've now seen enough kissing to last me a lifetime."

Alicia laughed and nodded. "Let's hope you still think that when you're Charlie's age. I definitely don't want to see you doing _that_," she told him, nodding towards Charlie. "Especially if it's with someone I know."

"Don't worry," George assured her, shaking his head. "And you've got permission to feed me to the giant squid if I ever so much as look like I want to kiss a girl."

"You know I'll do it too," Alicia giggled.

Just then, Fred approached them, a mischievous grin on his face. "I annoyed our Angel so much that she's gone to bed," he said with a wink. "We can go as soon as we get Lee away from Victoria."

George and Alicia followed his line of sight and had to laugh when they saw Lee, who was following two of the Gryffindor Chasers – Victoria Ryan and Chelsea Todd – all around the Common Room.

George then put on a very serious expression and motioned for Fred and Alicia to come closer, and the three of them stood in a huddle.

"This won't be easy," he said solemnly and Fred nodded, equally grave.

"I suggest we divide and conquer," he whispered, eyeing Lee over Alicia's head.

She examined the situation before agreeing with the twins. "I'll go around behind him," she instructed, taking on their somber air. "You two come in on either side."

"And when I give the signal, we grab him," finished George.

Fred and Alicia glanced at each other in confusion. "What's the signal?"

George thought for a moment, pretending to study a painting of Godric Gryffindor that hung over their heads, and he suddenly began to flail his arms wildly. "You can't miss it."

"Right," the other two responded, hiding their laughter, and the three friends set off to recover their fourth musketeer before their adventure into the forest could begin.

**Well, there you have it! After a ridiculously long wait, I really hope that it was good enough for you!**

**And for those of you that read **_**Raindrops**_**, I do plan on updating that one today sometime as well. (:**

**Thanks for sticking with me!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,  
Kayla**

_I'll sit and smile as you tell me about your new girl. I hope she's happy, after all, she has my whole world._


	10. Scars of Body and Soul

**THANK YOU: megg.x, Albuslover8101, ashl3yj0nas43v3r, kyo's-kitten256, Vampire Lover26, SecretlyAGryffindor, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, DancingCavalier, October Dusk, UndercoverHufflepuff, -the smell of autumn-, Queenie's Broken Heart, pinkpearl89, and Marteczka's Quill for the reviews! You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me.**

_I could__conquer the world__with one hand,__as long as you're holding the other._

**Chapter Nine: Scars of Body and Soul**

As the party began to die down, Fred, George, Alicia, and Lee crept out of the portrait hole and down the long, empty corridor that would take them to the staircases. The passageway that Fred and George had seen on the Map was a few floors below, directly outside of the trophy room.

Lee held the Map in the dim light of his wand, guiding them around hallways roamed by teachers or prefects and adding his ever-present adventure music to the background of their expedition.

"Do we know how to get into the passage?" Alicia whispered, glancing over Lee's shoulder. "The Map says the entrance is in the statue of the sphinx outside the trophy room."

The twins glanced at each other briefly. "I'm sure we can figure it out once we get there," Fred told her confidently.

Thanks to the Marauders, the four first years found their way safely down three flights of stairs, with no encounters with teachers (and luckily, no exploding Dungbombs). When they found the statue they were looking for, Lee stood guard a little ways down the hall while Fred, George, and Alicia poked and prodded the thing with their wands, muttering any opening spells they knew and hoping that they could find their way in.

"Any luck?" Lee asked, joining them momentarily.

The three of them shook their heads, causing Lee to groan. "It can't be that hard. Here, Alicia, take the Map. Let me try."

Alicia took it and glanced down, only to find herself unable to tear her eyes away. "Fred," she breathed. "George, come look at this."

For the tiny dot labeled Alicia Spinnet had taken out a miniscule wand and tapped the statue three times, while an incantation appeared beside it.

Alicia glanced at the other two and drew her wand, going to stand next to Lee, who was trying to poke the sphinx in the eye. She tapped it three times, just as the Map had instructed, and muttered "_Ut silva."_

The statue sprang to life, crouching down and opening its mouth so wide that the first years could easily fit inside.

Alicia gulped. "We're actually supposed to go in its _mouth_?"

Fred shrugged. "Looks like it. Come on."

He strode right up to the sphinx and stepped into its mouth, and the statue simply swallowed him right up.

"Fred!" Alicia squeaked, rushing to where he had disappeared and repeating the spell that would allow them inside. The sphinx once more opened its mouth and Alicia glanced around at George and Lee. "Looks like we have to go in now."

The boys nodded and George climbed in next, followed by Lee, and Alicia brought up the rear with the Marauder's Map. It felt strange to be swallowed by a stone statue, but once inside, Alicia found herself sliding down a cold, hard ramp. She held back a scream, unsure who would be able to hear, and suddenly found herself launched into midair, where she collided with Lee. The two of them fell to the ground, landing hard on George, who had just been standing up.

"Ow," George groaned, crawling out from underneath them and climbing gingerly to his feet. "Where are we?"

"Probably somewhere beneath the school," Alicia reasoned, judging by the earth walls and the compacted dirt path that they stood on. "But where's Fred?"

"I'm here!" called the redhead, rumpling his hair as he entered their sphere of wand light. "This is bloody brilliant!"

Lee chuckled, lighting his own wand and changing his music to sound more mysterious. "So we just follow the tunnel."

"That's what it looks like," George told him, looking at the Map with Alicia. "But this says that it branches off up ahead."

"Where do the paths go?"

"The both go into the Forest," Alicia answered. "But they come up in different places, two separate clearings a little ways apart."

"Which one should we take?" Lee asked.

Alicia shrugged, looking at Fred and George.

"Why don't we split up?" Fred suggested. "Lee and I will take the left, and Alicia and George take the right. If they come out close to each other, we should be fine."

"Sounds good to me," Lee said immediately, leading the way with his new song echoing off the walls.

Once they came to the fork in the tunnel, they split, Fred and Lee's taking them down and George and Alicia's slanting up.

Fred winked as they parted ways. "See you on the other side."

* * *

After the party had finally died down, Mae hurried up to her dormitory and changed into her favorite old jeans and pulled on a jacket to fight off the chill of the drafty castle corridors. She had patrol duty to attend to, though she imagined that Charlie – who usually took the shift with her – would be busy doing other things.

Sure enough, when she reached the bottom of the staircase, Charlie and Tia were nowhere to be found, but Evan was suddenly at her side.

"I figured I'd let Charlie have his fun for tonight," he told her, winking one of his grey eyes and brushing the shaggy brown hair from his face. "I'll take patrol with you."

Mae smiled up at him, glad that she had other friends she could count on. "Thanks, Evan. It shouldn't take too long tonight, the other houses will have gotten a head start."

They climbed out of the portrait hole and set off down the familiar corridor, opening closets and classroom doors along the way to ensure that they were still vacant. It was silent for a few moments before Mae worked up the courage to ask Evan something that had been troubling her since that morning.

"Evan?" she began, her voice quiet. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Mae. What's up?"

Mae stared at the ground as she walked, unable to meet his eyes. "This morning at breakfast, you said Tia was the 'hottest girl in the school.' Is that really true?"

"Sure," Evan answered as though it was obvious. "Everyone knows that. Tia's the hottest, Harper Debbs from Ravenclaw is the cutest, Evelyn Grey from Slytherin is the prettiest, and you're the most beautiful."

Mae felt a hot blush creep into her cheeks at this statement, but Evan just continued as though he was talking about something as simple as the weather. "Why?" he asked, looking down at her and raising an eyebrow. "Surprised that one of the four most gorgeous girls in Hogwarts actually went for Charlie?"

Mae tried to laugh as though it was as crazy as Evan seemed to think it was, but if she and Tia were really two of the four that he was talking about, than Charlie had half of them at least. She decided to change the subject before she gave herself away, so in doing so, she decided to give Evan a little nudge in a certain girl's direction.

"What about Victoria?"she asked in what she hoped was an off-handed voice, and then hastily added, "and Emily? Where do they fall?"

"Em's the individual. And Vic…"

"Yes?" Mae prompted, hoping that she was interpreting the light that had entered his eyes correctly.

Evan gave her a suspicious glance and Mae snapped her mouth shut. "She's innocent," he told her. "And a little naïve, but that's part of her charm. It makes her cute."

Mae raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't be cute if she wasn't innocent?

"She would be," Evan said with a shrug. "I mean, a lot of guys think she's adorable when she actually tries - you know, when she fixes herself up."

"But what's your opinion?"

"I think she's fine the way she is," he answered, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. "If she doesn't like makeup why should she wear it?" He paused, giving her an inquiring look. "Why do you ask?"

Mae shrugged and gave him an innocent smile. "I'm just curious, that's all."

Evan looked as though he wanted to say more, but the two of them had reached another broom closet. Soft moans and whimpers were escaped through the closed door.

"I'll bet you ten sickles it's those two fifth years that are always all over each other in the common room."

Mae grinned. "My money's on Ed Poppy."

"You are so on," Evan agreed, shaking her outstretched hand.

The two of them crept up to the door, silently counting to three, and Evan yanked the door open. When the light of their wands illuminated the two half-clothed figures in the corner, Mae gasped aloud and Evan gave a low whistle.

"Charlie?" Mae breathed, trying desperately to mask the hurt in her voice as Tia clumsily clasped her bra and pulled her shirt back over her head. Logically, there was only one reason why Mae should be mad at him, so she used it so as not to give her feelings away. "You are a _prefect_! You should know better than that! What were you thinking?"

"Oh please," said Tia, getting to her feet and striding up to Mae. They were about the same height, so it was not difficult for her to get in the blonde's face. "We all know that the only reason you're angry is because you're jealous."

The brunette gave her a smug look and crossed her arms, but Mae was too furious to be embarrassed. "You daft little…" but she refrained from calling Tia many of the names that came to mind. Instead, she pressed her lips together firmly and rubbed her temples, trying desperately to calm down. "He's my best friend, nothing more," she lied through her teeth. "Besides," she continued, sending Charlie an icy glare. "I personally would never date someone who respects me so little that he would try to shag me in a broom cupboard.

Tia looked enraged. "Charlie respects me plenty! I told him that broom cupboards were some of the best places in the school, he was simply respecting my wishes."

Mae snorted. "You are so incredibly thick," she said, shaking her head in mild amazement. "I just hope Charlie's as idiotic as you are. Then you might just have a shot at being happy."

With that, Mae turned on her heal and started walking back down the long corridor that would take her to Gryffindor tower.

"Don't worry about hiding behind your hangings tonight!" Tia called after her in a sickly sweet voice. "I'll just spend the night with Charlie."

Mae turned around and glared at her best friend, knowing that he was better than that, but Charlie just glared right back. "Of course you will, Tia. But we'll have to try to keep it down. My roommates will be asleep."

Tia giggled and Mae bit her lip, going back to her dormitory as quickly as she could as tears welled up in her eyes. She heard Evan mutter something to Charlie before his footsteps echoed behind her, quickly catching up.

"Hey, Mae," he began gently. "Listen, you know as well as I do that Charlie can be a prat sometimes, but give him a break. This is the first real shot he's had at a girlfriend all year; he probably just doesn't want to mess it up."

She nodded, biting back tears and swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't even know if I'm mad at him for being such an idiot or at her for being able to get whatever she wants." _Or at myself_, she added silently. _For falling for my daft best friend who's never been able to see what's right in front of him._

"I think after what he said it's him you should be mad at," Evan told her reasonably, glancing back over his shoulder to where Mae knew Charlie and Tia had probably fallen back into the broom cupboard. "And you said some things that surely made him angry as well. But don't forget that you guys are best friends, all right?" He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, but Mae could not help but think that it did not give her the same blissful, soaring feeling that Charlie's would have. "You two have known each other longer than anyone, and even you have your fights. In fact, I would be worried if you didn't argue."

Mae looked up at him, confused. "Why?"

"It would be like you didn't care," he answered. "You've got to fight about some things, because it shows that you two are willing to fight for each other."

Brushing hair from her eyes, Mae began chewing furiously on her lip, which she did often when she was thinking. "I suppose. But what happens when we go too far?"

"How far is too far?" Evan countered. "The more you care about each other, the farther you'll be able to go and still be all right in the end. And I don't think either of you would be the same without the other. Which says that you care a lot."

They had reached the portrait hole and Evan gave the password. Once in the empty common room, Mae gave Evan a quick hug. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I don't think it made me any less angry with him. But it's good to think that we can get over it."

Evan grinned at her and ruffled her blonde curls before they parted ways and climbed the stairs to their dormitories.

* * *

Alicia and George climbed for what seemed like hours up a steep slope that would bring them to the Forest.

"We're almost there," she told him softly, watching their dots on the Map. "That's strange. It says we should be at the exit, but the tunnel just keeps going."

George looked around them, his blue eyes shimmering in the faint wand light. "Up there," he said, pointing to the ceiling, where, sure enough, a wooden trap door was allowing a stream of pale moonlight to illuminate the passageway.

Alicia groaned. Standing on George's shoulders, she might be able to reach the handle, but there was little chance that either of them could pull themselves through. "What do we do?"

"We could keep following the tunnel," he suggested after a moment's thought. "Does the Map say where it leads?"

Alicia studied the old piece of parchment. "No, it goes off the edge, but it looks like it's still in the Forest."

"Well, let's go," said George, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along. "We can't go back, Fred and Lee will think we're cowards."

"We are _not_ going to let that happen," Alicia assured him, hurrying to keep up.

The tunnel was silent except for their soft footsteps, but soon the two of them could hear heavy breathing coming from a little ways up the path.

Alicia and George froze, for they found themselves face-to-face with a fully grown sphinx, crouching down as if ready to pounce.

"Well, well, well," she began, her voice like a purr. "Two young adventurers? You will never get past me."

"Um," Alicia said in a feeble, high-pitched voice. "That's okay. We'll just be going now."

"Oh, I think not," claimed the sphinx, circling Alicia and George like a vulture would its prey. "Not until you answer my riddle."

"Riddle?" repeated George. "Couldn't we do something else? We're not Ravenclaws."

"It matters not what you are, young one," she continued. "My challenge is an ancient riddle, one that we have been asking for centuries."

"And if we don't solve it?" Alicia asked, dread welling up in the pit of her stomach as she and George pressed their backs against the cold tunnel wall.

The sphinx grinned, her teeth razor sharp. "Then I shall _finally_ get to eat."

Alicia heard George gulp beside her and she subconsciously slipped her hand into his own.

"Well," he said, his voice sounding a bit firmer. "Give us the riddle then."

The sphinx sat down in front of them, her long tail swishing back and forth as she repeated something she must have said a thousand times before. "What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?"

Alicia racked her brain, trying desperately to think of an answer, but as George had said, they weren't Ravenclaws.

"Any ideas?" she breathed in his ear, hoping the sphinx could not hear her.

"Just one," he muttered back, and Alicia could feel him tense beside her. "RUN!"

She didn't need telling twice, the two of them sprinted back the way they had come, but Alicia had a bad feeling that they were nowhere near fast enough to escape. Luckily, they seemed to have taken the sphinx by surprise, and managed to get a small head start.

"What are we going to do?" Alicia panted, running as quickly as she could, though she already had a stitch in her side.

"The trapdoor," George answered, his breathing almost as shallow as her own as the two of them tried to stay balanced on the uneven ground. "I'll give you a boost and you'll have to pull me up."

Alicia was about to respond when a searing pain shot through her back and she stumbled forward.

The sphinx had caught up with her.

Its claws had raked across her back, leaving deep gashes. Blood was soaking her shirt and she was beginning to see spots, but she continued to run, knowing that if she stopped, there would be no hope at all.

There was a harsh laugh from directly behind her. "Give up now, young one, and save yourself a little pain."

Alicia was sure she was about to pass out, but George continued to pull her forward. "It's okay, Ally," he insisted, though he sounded desperate. "We're almost there."

She chanced a glance over her shoulder to see the sphinx licking up the blood that had fallen from the gashes in her back, seemingly savoring every drop.

"Now's our chance," George hissed, and without waiting for a response, he had grabbed Alicia around the knees and propelled her towards the wooden door.

Alicia knew that the only thing keeping her going was adrenaline, but she stood on her best friend's shoulders and pushed the trapdoor open, struggling to pull herself through. "Come on, George," she called, fighting against the darkness pressing in on her as she lowered her arm back into the tunnel. "Jump!"

He did so and she grabbed his hand, nearly toppling back down into the hole, when suddenly, someone was at her side, reaching down and helping her haul George out into the moonlight.

"NO!" the sphinx screamed, lunging at the three of them, but as soon as George cleared the doorway, someone was there to slam it shut on the monster's face and slide the lock firmly into place.

"Fred?" Alicia moaned lying back in the grass, feeling the blood flowing out of her and the adrenaline wearing off. The redhead leaned over her, his face panic-stricken.

"Yeah, it's me, Jack-Jack," he murmured. "We're going to get you back to the castle."

"Fred?" Lee's voice sounded miles away. "George's hurt too."

And that was the last thing Alicia heard before she blacked out completely.

* * *

Mae woke early the next morning, long before her other roommates, and quickly washed her face to rid it of the dried tears she must have shed sometime during the night. She wanted to have an early breakfast, so as to avoid seeing Charlie and Tia together, though she doubted they would be awake for a while – Tia's bed was empty, still made from the day before, meaning that she must have spent the night with Charlie. Seeing the open curtains caused Mae's stomach to lurch, but she bit her lip and pulled on jeans and a sweater, grabbing a book before she hurried out of the dormitory and through the portrait hole. Perhaps she could spend the day outside, away from Charlie or Tia or Evan, or any of the girls that knew her secret and would spend their time shooting her pitying looks.

The Great Hall was nearly deserted, save for a few Ravenclaw students who liked to have a Sunday morning study group, and a couple of professors enjoying a quiet breakfast.

Mae slid onto the bench at the long, empty Gryffindor table and spread peanut butter on a piece of toast. Even this simple task reminded her of her best friend – she thought about him every time she ate, for it had been Charlie who had convinced her to become a vegetarian when the two of them were eight years old. She sighed, taking an angry bite and hoping that the peanut butter worked the wonders it usually did on her nerves. Her hopes, however, proved to be in vain, so Mae flipped open a book she had checked out from the library as extra reading for her Healing class and tried to focus on the most effective ways to treat Kappa bites.

She was almost completely absorbed when someone plopped down on the bench beside her.

"Ann?" asked Mae, turning to see Tia's best friend anxiously twirling a strand of long auburn hair around her finger. "What are you doing here?"

The girl sighed, taking a blueberry muffin off a plate and picking at it. "I know I'm probably not the first person you would want to see," Ann told her, her sea green eyes searching Mae's face. "But, I just wanted you to know that I don't really approve of what Tia's doing either."

Mae tried to hide her surprise. "Really? But she's always been like this."

"No," said Ann, shaking her head. "She's a flirt – I am too, I'll admit – but she isn't a whore. I don't know what got into her last night."

"Charlie isn't the first person I would have expected it of either," Mae told her coldly. "But maybe we don't know people as well as we'd like to think we do."

Ann bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want to lose Tia. She's the only real friend I've got. And I know you and Charlie have been best friends for ages. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Mae said softly, feeling slightly helpless. "Perhaps we should just let them run their course. They're bad for each other, we can see that already. Maybe they just need a little time to realize it for themselves."

The other girl nodded, popping the last bit of muffin into her mouth. "I'd better go. Thanks, Mae."

"Of course," said Mae, giving her a small smile. "Just keep hoping for the best – whatever that may be."

* * *

Sunlight was streaming through high windows when Alicia opened her eyes. She held up a hand to shield them from the light, and hissed as the movement sent pain through her back. Memories flooded her mind from the night before and she sat up hastily, ignoring her throbbing cuts as she looked around for her other friends.

George was sitting up on the bed next to her in the hospital wing, having his leg examined by Madam Pomfrey. Fred and Lee stood nearby with Professor McGonagall, who looked beyond enraged. Alicia had never seen her so infuriated.

"What do you think you were doing?" McGonagall demanded, her eyes narrow and her lips thin. "I don't know how you four found your way into that tunnel, but mark my words, you will be severely punished. Surely you realize that your friends very likely could have died! This is very serious you two. And I hope that you have learned your lesson from this experience. It does not do to wander the Forest. There are many reasons it is off limits to students."

She looked as if she was going to say more, but if she did, Alicia could not hear it, for at that moment, Madam Pomfrey shoved a goblet into her face.

"Drink," the nurse ordered.

Alicia did, and nearly gagged as the potion seared her throat.

"I know it hurts, but it will heal the cuts. However, I am afraid that you are going to have scars from the attack." She pulled a screen in front of Alicia's bed so she could unwrap the bandages that engulfed her torso. "You lost a good deal of blood, Miss Spinnet, you'll have to stay here and continue to take replenishing potion for at least a few more days."

Alicia only nodded, finally noticing the dizziness she felt at even simple movements. She hissed again as the final strip of gauze was taken away, and knew that the sphinx had done more damage than she had originally thought.

"Personally I am amazed that you did not pass out as soon as the thing attacked you," Madam Pomfrey continued, applying some sort of salve that lessoned the pain. "Mr. Weasley must mean quite a lot to you to have had to will to stay conscious long enough to save him as well."

Alicia nodded again, not trusting her voice as her back continued to sting. When the nurse was finished, she wrapped clean bandages around Alicia's body and handed her a pair a pajamas that looked to be a few sizes too big to wear over them. Once the screen was removed, Alicia found Fred, Lee, and Professor McGonagall waiting for her, and George leaning in from his own bed a few feet away.

"I shall not ask you what happened, Spinnet," McGonagall told her, as though she was doing her some great service. "Weasley and Jordan have given me their side of the story, and George has filled me in on the rest."

Alicia nodded again, wondering what her punishment was going to be.

"Now," McGonagall continued. "You were in that tunnel against school rules, and I have every reason to expel you for such behavior." Alicia flinched. "However, in light of the bravery you showed in the face of such danger, and the lengths you went to to help a friend, I believe that a detention will suffice."

Alicia's jaw dropped in surprise. "That's it?" she choked out. "Thank you, professor, I –"

"I believe the injury will serve as a lasting reminder of your misbehavior," McGonagall cut her off. "Do not forget what happens to those who venture into forbidden places. I shall inform Mae, Charlie, Percy, and Miss Johnson of your whereabouts, I am sure they are wondering where you could be."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched out the door, leaving the four Gryffindors alone with Madam Pomfrey.

"I must pay a visit to Professor Snape," the nurse informed them. "My stock of blood replenishing potion is now drastically low. I trust that you will behave yourselves in my absence. Oh, and Miss Spinnet and Mr. Weasley – you are not to leave your beds."

And she left the room as well.

Alicia immediately turned to George. "What happened to you?"

"It got my leg," he told her, pointing to his left calf, which was wrapped in bandages. "Looks like we're going to have matching scars."

Alicia pushed her curly brown hair from her eyes and grinned at her best friend. "At least we'll never forget our adventures." She turned to Fred and Lee. "When did you guys get there? I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Well," Lee began, looking a little shaken. "There wasn't anything in the clearing where our tunnel ended, so we decided to see if we could find yours, thinking it might be more interesting."

"We were almost there when we heard George yell, and we ran into the clearing just as you came out of the trapdoor," Fred continued, pale beneath his freckles. "You were bleeding everywhere –"

"It was terrifying," Lee admitted, shivering involuntarily. "By the time we got there, you were trying to get George out, but you looked ready to faint, so Fred grabbed him, but the sphinx was too quick. She got his leg, and she just about pulled him back into the tunnel, but I was able to get the door shut before she could."

"In other words," Fred went on, putting a cocky smile back onto his face. "You both owe us big time."

Alicia laughed and sank back into her pillows. "Next time, _you_ can take the path that goes off the Map."

The others laughed softly as Alicia drifted slowly back to sleep.

* * *

On her way out of the Great Hall, Mae ran into the very last people she wanted to see.

"Oh, Mae," Tia said, looking surprised to see her. "Um, I didn't think you'd be down here so early."

"Funny," Mae replied, trying to keep the loathing out of her voice. "I came down early in the hopes that I wouldn't see _you."_

Tia flinched. "Look, about last night – no hard, feelings, okay?"

Mae had no idea how to respond. _ No hard feelings? _How could Tia ever think that? Luckily, she was saved the trouble of saying anything by McGonagall, who hurried up to the three of them, looking slightly flustered.

"Miss Spinnet, Mr. Weasley," she began, ignoring Tia completely. "You both should pay a visit to the hospital wing immediately."

Mae felt her throat constrict with worry. "Why? What's going on? Who –"

"Alicia and George had a little… incident in the Forest last night."

The blonde gasped, horrorstruck, she shot an involuntary glance at Charlie who was looking back, equally terrified.

"Are they all right?" The two of them asked together.

"They will both be fine," the professor answered. "However, I believe that you should hear their story firsthand, rather than through the rumors that will surely have circulated by noon."

Mae nodded and immediately began to make her way to the grand staircase, but she stopped when two sets of footsteps followed her.

"What do you think you're doing?" she spat at Tia, the anger in her voice surprising all three of them.

"She's my girlfriend now," Charlie shot back. "She has every right to come to the hospital wing with me to visit my brother."

Mae tried to ignore the pieces breaking off her heart at the tone of his voice and instead used her sadness to fuel her anger. "Oh please, I bet she doesn't even know who George is."

"He's the tall one with the short hair and glasses, right?" Tia asked, and Mae shot Charlie a look that clearly said _See?_

"Does it really matter, Mae? Who cares if she doesn't know who he is? She'll learn," Charlie snapped.

Mae walked back to them and stood on her toes, mere inches from Charlie. "It matters to me," she hissed. "I've been your best friend for years and you're taking her side! It's ridiculous!"

"You're the one that's being ridiculous!" he shot back, leaning down to glare at her. "As my best friend you should have supported me, not taken every opportunity to get in a fight with my girlfriend."

"But you could do so much better, Charlie!" Mae cried, earning many curious looks from students in the Entrance Hall. "You know that Tia only goes for popular guys, and you know that she only took interest in you when your team started doing so well. You are so blind!"

"Blind to what, Mae?" he growled, and she was surprised to hear him call her by her proper name. "Who do you suggest I go for? _You?_ Is that what you want?"

She gave a cold laugh, pushing away the small voice in her heart that was saying that that was exactly what she wanted. "You wish, Charlie. But I would never date you. In fact, now that I think about it, Tia's the one I should feel sorry for. She has to put up with you!"

"And I feel sorry for any bloke that ever tries to get a chance with you! All those guys that think you're so great – they're just setting themselves up for disappointment."

There was now a good sized crowd surrounding the three of them, and Mae could see Evan, Victoria, Emily, and Roxanne standing right at the front, all looking horrified.

"Yeah?" Mae's voice was bordering on hysteric. "Then why have you been my best friend for so many years?"

"Good question," Charlie replied, narrowing his eyes. "I don't know how I've put up with you for so long."

"And I have no idea what I ever saw in you that made me want to be your friend at all," Mae said quietly, feeling her anger ebbing away as sadness took over. "I'm going to see my sister, and I suggest you two stay away from the hospital wing for a while."

"My brother's up there too," Charlie argued. "I'm coming."

"You really want them to see us tearing each other apart?"

"Surely we can pretend to be civil for one more hour."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

* * *

**Charlie's a jerk, isn't he? XD But I suppose that all of the Weasley men are like that, but he'll realize his mistake eventually. Mae's no angel either. And don't judge Charlie too harshly, remember that you're seeing Tia solely through Mae's POV, meaning that her opinion could be slightly worse than what Tia actually deserves.**

**As for Alicia and George's matching scars, for some reason I was thinking about Percy Jackson and how he and Annabeth have matching grey streaks in their hair, and I just thought it would be a neat idea. :P**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

**_Girl_**_**:** I have to ask you a question. It's a good one so think about it. If two people love each other, but they can't seem to get together, when do you get to that point of enough is enough._

**_Boy_**_**:** Never._


	11. Made to Last Forever

**FINALLY, CHAPTER TEN! Haha. Sorry it's taken so long!**

**THANK YOU: **_**SecretlyAGryffindor, October Dusk, UndercoverHufflepuff, meggx, RaindropsOnTheRooftop, Claire Lafleur, iamagriffin, Queenie's Broken Heart, -the smell of autumn-,**_** and**_** pinkpearl89**_** for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Anything and anyone whom you do not recognize has been created by me.**

_People are going to screw up. It's our nature. And it's why we were given the ability to forgive._

**Chapter Ten: Made to Last Forever**

Alicia sat drumming her fingers on the table beside her bed, feeling as though she could cry of boredom. The hospital wing was just so dull with its grey stone walls and rows of metal beds all covered in crisp white sheets. Madam Pomfrey had made Fred and Lee go down to breakfast, so she was alone with George, who was laying on his back counting the stones in the ceiling.

"Don't you have any better ideas?" she asked him, sprawling across her bed and watching her best friend.

"Shh," George replied. "I'm almost done."

Alicia rolled her eyes and flopped onto her back, wincing as the four long cuts from the sphinx's claw seared with pain. She was about to interrupt George's counting again when the door to the hospital wing opened to reveal Mae, who was breathing hard and slightly red in the face.

"Mae?" Alicia and George asked together. "What's wrong?"

The blonde's face went blank and quickly reformed itself into a calm, somewhat worried expression. "Nothing, what happened to you two? All Professor McGonagall said was that you had some sort of incident and that you were here. I didn't know if you were seriously hurt or if you were truly going to be okay, _what were you thinking_?"

Alicia glanced at George and shot him a small smirk. That was their Mae.

The two first years dove into the tale of their adventure, leaving out the Marauder's Map and simply saying they had stumbled upon the entrance by mistake. Charlie rushed in a few moments into the story with the girl that he had been snogging the night before and Alicia and George had to start all over, and then they had to do it once more when an out of breath Percy and confused-looking Angelina hurried into the room.

"You two are lucky that you weren't killed," Mae and Charlie told them in unison, and Alicia saw them exchange seething looks, though she could not fathom why.

"Oh please, Charlie," Mae snapped. "You know they take after you."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "And _you_ know you would have followed me anywhere."

Mae opened her mouth to reply, but seemed to find that she had nothing to say, for she turned back to Alicia instead.

"Just promise me you won't do anything too dangerous?" she asked, looking from Alicia to George and back.

"Honesty, Mae, we didn't know it was going to be dangerous at all until we found the sphinx," George told her sheepishly.

Mae's hard expression softened into a smile. "Just be careful, all right? Is there anything I can get you?"

"Something to get rid of boredom?" Alicia suggested, causing Charlie, Mae, and Angelina to laugh. Percy, who had not said a word since they had finished their story, looked around at all of them as though they had lost their minds.

"How can you laugh?" the third year demanded. "They broke about ten school rules and almost got themselves killed!"

George sat up and smirked at his older brother. "_Almost_ being the key word, Perce. We're still here."

"Besides, what's life without a little adventure?" Alicia added, grinning at the disgusted look on Percy's face.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey came to usher the visitors out of the ward, announcing – much to the resentment of Alicia and George – that her patients needed rest. So the others filed out, promising to return as soon as they could with something to entertain their bedridden siblings.

Alicia huffed and leaned back against her pillows, grudgingly taking the rust-tasting blood replenishing potion that the healer offered her, and then lay there for what felt like hours, listening to George grumble about having to restart his count of the ceiling stones.

After staring at nothing for far too long, the doors to the hospital wing opened again, and Charlie was back, but this time, he was flanked by Evan Williams and Chelsea Todd – all in their gear for Quidditch practice. Charlie and Evan were supporting an unconscious Oliver Wood between them, and Chelsea followed close behind, holding his broomstick.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Chelsea called, tightening her auburn ponytail. "Madam Pomfrey, Oliver needs help!"

"No need to shout," the nurse reprimanded as Charlie and Evan hoisted the smaller boy up onto the bed on Alicia's other side. "Now, what happened?"

"MaKayla and I were trying to show him a new move," Chelsea explained quickly. "It's called the Starfish and Stick and it's absolutely _wicked_, but bloody difficult, as well. You see, the Keeper hangs from –"

"I do not need to know the complete dynamics of the move, Miss Todd," Madam Pomfrey cut in before the sixth year could go into further detail.

"Right," Chelsea agreed, a faint blush creeping to her cheeks. "Basically, he was trying to do it and he slipped from about fifty feet in the air. Charlie managed to catch him by the back of the robes, but they ripped before he could get him back on the broom. He ended up falling from about twenty or thirty feet instead."

"I see," the nurse said, waving her wand over Wood's body and muttering under her breath.

"Is he going to be all right?" Chelsea inquired, her hands clasps nervously in front of her.

Madam Pomfrey stowed her wand inside her robes and told Evan and Charlie to get Wood out of his bulky training gear. "He should be fine, Miss Todd. There are some broken bones, but nothing I haven't seen before."

Chelsea nodded and left with Evan once he reappeared. Charlie took a final glance at his fallen player before making his way to where George and Alicia had been watching from the foot of their beds.

"How are you two doing?" he asked nonchalantly, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "We're fine, really. Just absolutely _bored out of our minds_."

Charlie winced. "Yeah, I've been stuck in here enough times over the years to know the feeling."

"What did you do?" asked George.

"Well Mae usually –" Charlie began, but stopped almost immediately. "Erm, well, there really isn't much you can do."

"What's up with you and my sister?" Alicia asked him bluntly, crossing her arms and hissing in pain as the cuts across her back were stretched.

Charlie's face darkened. "Nothing."

"Sure," George snorted. "And Percy fancies the giant squid."

"Did you have a fight?" Alicia pressed on.

Charlie looked from one to the other, a slightly exasperated expression on his face. Finally, he sighed and sat down at the end of George's bed. "Mae doesn't approve of Tia," he explained.

"That girl you were snogging?" Alicia and George asked in unison.

He nodded. "Yeah, well, she and I decided to start dating and Mae got really angry. She started saying a bunch of stuff about how… well, she said some bad things about Tia, and then I started yelling back. I said some things that I didn't mean, but I just can't take them back yet."

"Why not?"

Charlie chuckled. "You two are lucky to be young," he told them, and Alicia could not help but feel there was a warning behind his words. "Everything gets complicated when you start to grow up."

* * *

Mae ran around the lake for what felt like the hundredth time, but she did not mind in the least. Having the wind in her face and the smell of the trees in the air as she jogged was one of her favorite things in the world. It felt sort of cleansing, like she was running so far she was leaving all of her problems and heartache behind.

She had burst into tears as soon as she had escaped from the group of people that had gone to visit George and Alicia, and she had cried for a long time, consuming more peanut butter for comfort than she had ever eaten in her life.

And once her eyes were dry, she had changed into shorts and a t-shirt and started to run as fast as she could, finally feeling the weight on her shoulders lift ever so slightly.

"Mae!" a familiar voice yelled, and she turned to see Evan waiting for her, leaning against an old beech tree on the edge of the lake.

Mae ran up to him, feeling sweaty and disgusting, and took the bottle of water that he held out to her. "Thanks," she told him with a small smile. "What's up?"

"You're still mad at Charlie." It was a statement, not a question.

Rolling her eyes, Mae turned to go back to her running, for she was sick of hearing that name.

"Wait," said Evan, grabbing her arm and holding her back. "I just wanted to tell you that they didn't, you know, do anything last night."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "But Tia never came back to the dormitory."

"Charlie didn't want her to have to feel your wrath or anything, so he let her sleep on his bed and he took the floor. He never intended to do anything with her, he's too old-fashioned. You should know that."

"I _do _know that," she admitted. "But I guess I just figured that if he would go for someone like that in the first place, he's liable to do anything."

Evan chuckled softly, staring out over the lake. "You really don't give Tia enough credit, you know. She didn't want to do anything either, and she seemed really relieved when Charlie told her that he wasn't going to shag her or anything."

"That doesn't change the fact that she only likes him because he's Quidditch captain."

He shrugged, searching her face for something that Mae could not imagine. "Maybe that's why she took interest in him, but they'll get to know each other and I'm sure she'll find something else that she likes. I mean, Charlie's not _completely_ horrible _all_ of the time."

Mae had to crack a smile at his last words, but it quickly faded as she thought about the other things he had said. What if Tia actually did find out how amazing Charlie was? How even when they were fighting he could still make her feel exhilarated and alive, or the fact that he remembered tiny details of people's personality because he truly cared about them? What if Tia fell in love with him and he with her? The thought made Mae want to vomit all over Evan's shoes.

"Mae?" said Evan, giving her a worried look. "You're turning a little bit green."

She shook her head to clear it and forced a little smile. "I'm fine, I just –"

"You're jealous," he concluded, once more giving her that searching look.

Mae felt all of the blood drain from her face in horror. He couldn't know, she wasn't that obvious. Was she?

"No," she insisted immediately, and Evan crossed his arms over his chest, a small but triumphant smile on his face.

"You are!" he exclaimed, a full-on grin bursting across his features. "You actually fell for Charlie!"

Mae put her head in her hands, feeling a dark blush color her cheeks. "Don't scream it!" she hissed. "It's just a, a passing fancy. You know, nothing I won't get over in a week or so."

But Evan did not seem to be listening to her lies. "Emily and Vic owe me ten sickles each, and Troy owes me twenty!"

"You guys were _betting_ on us?" Mae asked, her mouth open in disbelief.

"Betting on _you_," Evan corrected. "I mean, we all knew Charlie –"

He stopped abruptly and Mae felt as though an icy hand had clenched around her heart. "Charlie what?"

"Nothing," he told her far too quickly. "You know, I've just remembered that I have a book I have to return to the library. See you later, Mae."

And with that, he dashed back up to the castle.

Mae sighed and flung herself down at the water's edge, just as the giant squid appeared to bask in the afternoon sun.

"Hey, big guy," she said softly, rubbing one of his long tentacles. "I guess you don't know what Evan was talking about either. Charlie _what_? Did they know that he always liked me, or did they know he never could?"

The squid just blinked its age-old eye in a questioning sort of way and Mae let out a sigh, flopping onto her back in the grass.

"Boys stink," she said simply, summing up her problems in two little words as she blew blonde curls from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Silver sitting with Evelyn under a willow tree. "They _really_ stink," she amended, thinking of Roxanne. "Why can't they just see what's right in front of them and be happy with it?"

The squid let out a low groan and slid back beneath the rippling surface of the lake, leaving Mae to her confusing thoughts.

* * *

Oliver Wood woke up suddenly, moaning in pain. Alicia spun around from where she had been staring at her Charms text book for the past half hour.

"_Merlin_," he moaned, rubbing his ribs. "What happened?"

Alicia swung her legs off the bed so she could face him. "Charlie said you fell off your broom trying the Starfish and Stick," she explained to him. "He, Evan, and Chelsea brought you up here. I think you broke some bones, but Madam Pomfrey didn't seem too worried."

"I better not be out very long," he said miserably. "We have another match coming up, I can't be out of practice." He paused for a moment, before looking back at Alicia. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Alicia Spinnet," she told him, running a hand through her curly brown hair. "Mae Spinnet – the Head Girl – I'm her sister."

"Then you're in Gryffindor?"

"Yes," Alicia answered proudly.

"Are you any good at Quidditch?" Wood pressed on, looking eager at the thought of fresh blood once so many people on the team graduated.

Alicia felt herself blush. "I'm decent," she said with a shrug. I mean, I'm not –"

"She's a bloody brilliant Chaser," George cut her off, giving her a smile as he came around to sit beside her. "I'm George Weasley."

Wood nodded to him. "Please tell me you take after Charlie."

"Well, I'm no Seeker," said George, shaking his head. "But my brother Fred and I make a good Beater team."

"Excellent," Wood grinned. "We have a Chaser and both of our Beaters graduating next year. Are you planning on trying out?"

"Definitely," the two first years answered together.

"So what are you doing in here?" he asked them, and George and Alicia glanced at each other before launching into the tale once more.

When they finished, Wood was staring at them with a look torn between horror and being impressed.

"I can't believe you actually outsmarted a sphinx!" he exclaimed, his eyebrows so high that they disappeared beneath his golden brown hair.

Alicia and George glanced at each other and shared a grin.

"I wouldn't call it 'outsmarted' exactly," Alicia told Oliver.

"Yeah," George agreed. "'Outran' is more like it."

Olivier chuckled, but then winced, holding his ribs. "_Merlin_," he swore. "That must have been quite a fall."

"Chelsea said twenty to thirty feet," Alicia supplied conversationally, swinging her legs back and forth.

Wood grinned. "Are you always this observant?"

Alicia felt a blush find its way onto her face, and mentally slapped herself. What was the matter with her? She never blushed because of a boy, that was just ridiculous. "I don't know," she told him with a shrug, ignoring the amused look George was sending in her direction. "I guess so."

"And she clams up the instant anyone figures out a part of who she is," Wood muttered to himself, laying back on his bed and staring at the ceiling with a bitter look in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Alicia demanded, now on the defensive as she crossed her arms across her chest and gave him her best cold stare.

"Nothing," Wood growled. "My first girlfriend – well, it's really none of your business."

"Girlfriend?" George asked. "How old are you, thirteen?"

"Fourteen, actually, as of last week."

"Huh," George sighed thoughtfully, loosing himself in his mind.

"What about her?" Alicia pressed on, determined to figure out what he had found that he thought was wrong with her.

"You just remind me of her, that's all," Wood explained, not meeting her eyes.

Alicia cocked an eyebrow, leaning forward on the edge of her bed. "Is that bad?"

Wood shrugged, wincing as he did so. "I don't know yet."

"Well, let me know when you figure it out," Alicia told him, still wanting to know what was the matter with her in the eyes of someone who hardly knew her.

* * *

Mae took a deep breath before approaching Charlie in the Common Room that night. He was sitting with Tia and a few members of the Quidditch team, so it took all of the courage the blonde possessed just to walk up to him at all.

"Erm, Charlie?" she asked timidly, cursing her voice for being so soft. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Charlie narrowed his eyes. "Well, I don't know. Are you here to yell at me again? Or to make fun of my girlfriend?"

"No," Mae insisted, inwardly flinching at his harsh tone of voice. "I just want to talk."

"Fine," Charlie answered, giving Tia a long kiss before hoisting himself to his feet and following Mae into an empty corner of the Common Room.

Mae closed her eyes briefly and willed herself to mean what she was about to say. "Charlie, listen, I'm sorry, okay? I said some really stupid things that I should never have even thought of saying. I mean, you're my best friend, right? I shouldn't freak out over who you want to date. But the thing is, I _am_ your best friend, and so I care, all right? And maybe I haven't done the best job of showing that, but I guess I just care enough to get angry when I think you're doing something wrong, or bad for you. And I thought – based off her previous actions – that she was bad for you. But I never gave her a chance, so maybe I'm mistaken. I should have trusted you with your own heart. So I'm sorry."

Charlie chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement.

"What?" Mae asked, hoping that it was a good sign.

"Nothing," Charlie answered with a grin. "It's just that you have two completely different sides – one that fights like hell, and one that can be really, well, _sweet._ And I just don't think I've ever seen both in the same day."

Mae laughed lightly. "Does that mean we're okay, then?"

"Yeah," Charlie said quietly, squeezing her shoulder. "Earlier today, I didn't think that we would be able to take back the things we said so quickly, but if you're ready to forget, than so am I."

"I am," Mae told him with a small smile. "But I don't believe that _you've_ taken anything back yet."

Charlie chuckled softly. "All of that stuff I told you – like that I felt sorry for any guy that fell for you, all of it – nothing was true. Any guy would be lucky to have a girl like you."

Mae blushed in spite of herself and squeezed Charlie's hand. "Thanks, Charlie. So, friends forever again?"

"And always," Charlie answered with a wink, before leading her back to sit with the others around the fire.

* * *

"What was _that_?" George asked as soon as Madam Pomfrey had given Wood a Sleeping Draught and he was out for a few hours.

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Blushing, not knowing what to say to him, the whole _girly _thing," explained George, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Alicia glared at him. "Shove off. It wasn't anything. You know I'm not girly."

"Well, you could have fooled me."

Alicia grabbed her pillow and threw it at him, hitting him full in the face. "If my back wasn't completely shredded, I'd tear you to pieces!"

"That's more like it," George grinned, throwing the pillow right back.

* * *

"What is _she_ doing here?" Tia asked as Mae and Charlie sat on the sofa.

"Tia," Mae began, swallowing her anger and forcing a calm look to remain on her face. "I'm sorry about the way I acted. It wasn't fair to you. I mean, we've lived together for almost seven years now, but I never took the time to get to know you. So I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry for judging you. If Charlie sees something good in you… well, then I'll look for it as well."

The brunette looked taken aback, but smiled a little in spite of herself. "Thanks, Mae, erm, I guess."

Mae tried to smile at her, but all she could think of was Charlie and Tia in the broom cupboard together, and the memory made her blood boil.

"You know," she said, standing up suddenly. "We all know this is awkward, so I think I'll go to bed and we can work on this 'getting back to normal' thing in the morning."

Charlie gave her a worried look, but she winked at him and headed up the stairs. However, as soon as she entered her dormitory, she began punching her pillow as hard as she could.

"Ouch," said Victoria, emerging from the bathroom and towel drying her yellow blonde hair. "Remind me not to make you angry."

Mae grinned bashfully. "Sorry, Vic, it's just this whole thing with Charlie and Tia. I apologized to him tonight, you know, and he forgave me, but I don't know how I'm supposed to act like everything's all right around them. I mean, I've clearly demonstrated that everything is not all right."

Victoria plopped down on the bed next to her, pulling the pillow out of harm's way. "Here's the thing," she began. "Guys are idiots, every single one of them. They never actually think about which girl is good for their heart, they just think about what's easy and convenient. But you know what? They do get smarter. Maybe we can't see it yet, but eventually they're going to realize that what they want are girls that love them for who they are, girls that will be there through everything. We just have to give them time."

"Are you talking about Charlie or Evan?" Mae asked with a small smile.

Victoria grinned. "Both," she answered simply. "One of these days they're going to wake up and figure out what's missing from their lives, and then we won't be able to keep them away."

"Here's to hoping then," Mae told her with a wink. "Especially the hope that we don't give up on them by that point."

"We won't have," Victoria assured her with a sigh. "Every girl has that boy that no matter where they are or what they're doing, should that boy appear and tell her he loves her, she would drop it all just to be with him, every time."

* * *

**Finally! A new chapter! Sorry it's been so long guys, but it's finally summer break so I can write more often now! Yay!**

**Also, I thought you might like to know that I am going to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. Basically, you write a fifty thousand (or more) word novel during November. It's going to be tons of fun and I am highly encouraging all of you to do it as well! If you're afraid or stuck or anything, PLEASE COME TO ME. I am more than happy to help you guys out with anything. (:**

**Oh, and I updated Raindrops, too, for those of you who read both!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love Always,**

**Kayla**

_I'm afraid once your heart is involved, it all comes out in Moron.  
__- Gilmore Girls_


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